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LIVES OF THE 



PRESIDENTS 



OF THE 



UNITED STATES 



IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE 



SY 

MRS. HELEN W. PIERSON 

AUTHOR OF "a history OF THE UNITED STATES, IN WORDS OF ONE 
SYLLABLE," AND ALSO OF HISTORIES OF FRANCF, 
OF GERMANY, AND OF ENGLAND. 



COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATEI 



i.,/^*?^'^f ^^ 









GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, Limited 

new york : 9 lafayette place 

London and Manchester 



'Ti ^ 



t-l I" 



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^4^ 



IN UNIFORM STYLE. 

Words of One Syllable, 



ILLUSTRATED. 



HIS TOR Y OF UNITED ST A TES 

LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF 
THE UNITED STATES 

HISTOR Y OF ENGLAND 

HISTOR Y OF FRANCE 

HISTOR Y OF GERMANY 

HISTOR Y OF IRELAND 

HISTORY OF RUSSIA 

HISTORY OF JAPAN 

HISIORY OF THE OLD TESTA- 
MENT 

HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTA- 
MENT 

HISTORY OF THE BATTLES OF 
AMERICA 

HEROES OF HISTORY 



George Routledge & Sons, limited, 
9 Lafayette Place, New York. 



Copyright, 1884, 1889 and 1894, 
By Joseph L. Elamire. 



PREFATORY 



In these *' Lives of the Presidents of the United 

c^ States," it has been thought best to depart from the 

strictly one-syllable style, by using the past tense of 

certain verbs. This has been done with those which 

are pronounced as one syllable. 

It will be readily understood that many matters 
of statecraft — tariff, nullification and important 
political movements — have been excluded from this 
volume as beyond the limits of one syllable. But 
such matters are also beyond the comprehension of 
the little ones who may gain from this book their 
first knowledge of those who have occupied the 
chief place in our nation. 



George Washington 
John Adams 
Thomas Jefferson . 
James Madison 
James Monroe 
John Quincy Adams 
Andrew Jackson 
Martin Van Buren 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

CHAPTER n. 
CHAPTER HI. 
CHAPTER IV. 

• • • 

CHAPTER V. 

CHAPTER VI. 
CHAPTER VII. 
CHAPTER VIII. 



CHAPTER IX. 
William Henry Harrison 
John Tyler , . . . 



James Knox Polk . 



Zachary Taylor . 
Millard Fillmore 



CHAPTER X. 



CHAPTER XI. 



• II 

. 36 

. 46 

, 58 

. 64 

. 72 

. 80 

, 90 



94 

97 



103 



. 108 
. no 



Contents. 

CHAPTER XII. 

Franklin Pierce . . . . . , » 113 

CHAPTER XIII. 

James Buchanan . . . . . , • n? 

CHAPTER XIV, 

Abraham Lincoln . . . , , .124 

CHAPTER XV. 

Andrew Johnson . . . . , , .144 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Ulysses Simpson Grant . . , .147 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Rutherford B, Hayes ...... 169 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

James Abram Garfield . . . , . .173 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Chester Allan Arthur . . . , , .180 

CHAPTER XX, 

Grover Cleveland . . . , , . 1S4 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Benjamin Harrison . . . . , .190 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Grover Cleveland 



196 



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Lives of the Presidents. 



CHAPTER I. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

1789 to 1797. 

In Vir-gin-i-a, near 
the banks of the stream 
we call the Po-to-mac, 
there is a spot known 
as Bridges' Creek. It 
is so small a place that 
you can not call it a 
town, and yet it is dear 
to the hearts of A-mer- 
i-cans, for here, on 
the 2 2d of Feb-ru-a-ry, 
1732, George Wash-ing-ton was born. A few fig 
trees are still seen, and here and there a wild rose 
peeps out of the weeds to show you that once on a 
time a home was there. A few loose bricks and 
bits of lime still lie on the ground where the old 




12 Lives of the Presidents. 

farm-house once stood. In 1815 a small stone slab 
was put there to mark the spot. 

The coat-of-arms of the Wash-ing-tons was a 
white shield with two red bars on it, and on top 
were three stars, so that the whole was like the stars 
and stripes, in a way. When George was three 
years old the Wash-ing-tons left this home and 
went to live in a low red house on a hill near 
Fr^d-e-ricks-burg 

The tale of the way in which George cut the 
fruit tree has been told all through the years to the 
small folks of this land, to show his love of truth. 
He had been brought up to tell the truth, and to 
do what was right at all times. One who was near 
kin to him tells the tale: "One fine day," she said, 
*'when George was five years old, his Pa took 
us both by the hand and bade us come with him to 
look at the fruit trees. The whole earth was strewn 
with the fruit. But there was one tree that had not 
borne in the past, and was a choice kind. This 
was found to be cut. George hung back. 'Who 
has done th's ?' said Mr. Wash-ing-ton, in a rage, 
for the bark of the tree had been cut in such a way 
that one could not hope for fruit for 3^ears. The 
small boy came forth in a brave w^ay : ' I did it. Pa. 
I can not tell a lie, I cut it,' he said. Mr. Wash- 
ing-ton was so struck by this show of truth on the 



George Washington. 



13 



part of his son that his rage left him, and he felt 
more proud than he had been of his boy." 

George, from the time he was quite a small lad, kept 
a book in 
which he 
wrote down 
allthethings 
that took 
place in his 
life. When 
George was 
scarce a man 
in years he 
took charge 
of some 
troops sent 
out to save 
his State 
from the 
bands of 
fierce In- 
dians and 
the hosts of 

French who sought to steal more land. One fourth 
of all the State troops were put in his charge, and 
for his work in this line he got a small pay that in 
our day would scarce be thought what a strong man 




_DJ- 



WASH-IXG-TON AND HIS MOTH-ER. 



14 Lives of the Presidents. 

could live on. He did a good deal of hard work to 
train his men in the right way for the fight. He 
had just got his men so that they could well cope 
with the foe, when word came from the head of the 
State that bade him start on a new task. It had 
been heard that the French and In-dians had gone 
to work to build forts in a long line on the O-hi-o. 
To find out if this was so, Wash-ing-ton was sent 
to the front with a note to the chief man of 
the French troops. Though it was cold and bleak, 
young Wash-ing-ton did not shrink at the task set 
for him. He well knew at the time that most of 
his way would lead through dark woods by bad 
roads for miles and miles, but he did not flinch. 
Wash-ine-ton had four men with him when he 
made the start — a guide to show him the way and 
one who knew how to speak French, with two men 
to guard their goods and to do all the odd kinds of 
work there might be on hand. A hard time they 
had of it at first, as their way led through swamp 
and mire. At last they found the fort of which 
they were in search. Here Wash-ing-ton had a 
long talk with the chief of the French troops, who 
was a man who had been long in wars. Though 
kind, he was very firm when his rights were at 
stake. George did not gain much by this trip, as 
he was told that the French had all the land round 



George Waskmgion. 



15 



neath their thumbs. They had sent out word to 
seize all men found at large who did not prove they 
were friends. When Wash-ing-ton got the note he 
was to take back, he made his way, with his men, 
home once more. It 
was more cold than 
when they had made 
their start, for the 
snow and ice lay thick 
on field and stream, 
and it was hard to get f 
through it all. At one 
time they had to ford 
a stream by means of 
a raft, and Wash-ing- 
ton made a slip from 
the damp logs. If he 
had not been caught 
by one of his men 
he might have lost 
his life. 



The way in which 
Wash-ing-ton had 

done his task won him much praise, and the head 
of his State went so far as to make a note of his act 
to the King of En-gland. He was at once made a 
a Col-o-nel, and two bands of troops were put in his 




1 6 Lives of the Presidents. 

charge to stop the French who sought to seize more 
land. As George Wash-ing-ton had no gold with 
which to pay his men, and as the State did not try 
to help him, it was not strange that in his first fight 
he did not win the day, though he strove hard and 
well to turn the tide. The head of the French 
troops praised George and his men for the brave 
way in which they had fought, and his own State 
at once sent him some gold to pay his troops. It 
was not long from this time that George took charge 
of a part of the troops of Gen-er-al Brad-dock. This 
was thought at the time to be quite a high post, so 
you may be sure he was not long in doubt if he 
should take it. 

It was in the month of June, 1755, that the 
troops made their way to Fort Du-quesne, where 
they were to stay. They had scarce been on the 
road a day ere Wash-ing-ton fell sick ; but he kept 
up like a brave man, and in spite of his friends 
would march at the head of his men. 

Wash-ing-ton knew so well the tricks of the 
shrewd foe they had to deal with, that he wished 
Brad-dock to let him take the lead with those men 
who knew the In-dians' ways best ; but he would 
not. Brad-dock had cause soon to know his course 
had been wrong, for the woods were thick with 
In-dians, who rent the air with their shrieks and 



George Washington. 1 7 

war-whoops. From rocks and trees they sprang on 
the troops Uke wild beasts. Wash-ing-ton had his 
horse shot and Brad-dock got such a wound that 
there was no hope for his hfe. They had to flee 
from the foe and he died on the way. His last 
words were to Wash-ing-ton: "Oh! if I had but 
done as you said, all might have been well — or at 
least our loss would not have been so great." He 
left Wash-ing-ton a horse that had been with him 
through the wars and an old slave whom he had 
brought up to serve him. 

When the news of this fight was brought to Gov- 
ern-or Din-wid-die, there was great fear of the 
In-dians now that they had shown how strong they 
were. They knew, too, that if it had not been for 
Wash-ing-ton, their hopes would all be lost. '* Brad- 
dock lost the fight," they said, ''but Wash-ing-ton 
was the one who saved the troops." 

When the heads of the State met they made a 
vote to give Wash-ing-ton a large sum, to pay, if 
they could, for all he had done for them ; and they 
made him the chief of all the troops in the col-o-nies. 
His first step was to place his men so that they 
could stop the In-dians when they tried to rob and 
burn the homes of the land. He did this so well 
that he got much praise for his work. To aid him 
in this task he made all his men dress in the same 



i8 



Lives of the Presidents. 




garb as the In-dians. This 
was a great help to them, 
as it was hght and cheap. 
On the 17th of Jan-u-a-ry, 
I7S9> Wash-ing-ton was 
wed to Mrs. Mar-tha Cus- 
tis. who was as good as she 
was fair. He spent three 
months with his wife at 
their home, which was 
known as ''The White 
House," in New Kent, 
and at the close of that 

Cb- /^5%/.^/4?^ y^^^ ^h^y k^P^ h^V^^ ^^ 

Mount Ver-non, his old 
place. While here, Wash-ing-ton gave much time 
to the care of his farm, but he still held in view the 
state of things in our _,,-._ ^ 

land, and did not 
lose sight of the great 
moves of the day in 
the cares of home 
life. 

At this time men 
felt that the rule of 
En-gland was a hard 
yoke to bear, as the 




MOUNT VER-NON. 



George Washitigton. 



19 



tax on goods made here was quite high. Lord 
North sought to make this tax more than it had 
been, with not so much as a wo.d to our folk till it 
was done. It was not strange, then, that all who 
were free born should feel that this was a great 
wrong that was thrust on them, and that they 




BOS-TON TEA PAR-TY. 



would not stand it. They did not mind as long as 
En-gland was just in her rule, but they did not like 
to have the King treat them as slaves. 

So they got in-to a rage with the sense of their 
wrongs, and said they would have their rights, which 
was but just. They tore down the homes of those 
in their midst who were on the side of the Brit-ish, 



20 



Lives of the Presidents. 



and souo^ht to kill those who would force on them 
the "Stamp Act," the tax they had cause to hate. 
The mob was full of rage, and there was great 
fear that a war would take place if En-gland did 
not at once put a stop to the Stamp Act. They 
still kept up the tax of three pence a pound on 




TO ARMS ! TO ARMS ! " 



tea, and sent three ships here full ; but our men 
one nieht broke the chests and threw it all in the 
sea. 

From that time signs of war were seen, and the 
first fight took place at Lex-ing-ton, on the Lord's 
Day, be-tween Brit-ish and A-mer-i-can troops ; and 



George Washington. 2 1 

then the cry went out through the length and 
breadth of our land : ''To arms ! To arms !" 

In view of this fear of a great war that might soon 
come, men met at Phil-a-del-phi-a on May lo, 1775, 
and Wash-ing-tonwas made chief of all our troops. 
He took full charge of them in the latter part of 
June in the same year, near Bos-ton. 

The Brit-ish had thrown up earth-works on the 
hills on all sides, so that help would be cut off from 
the town, and the plight of those who had to bear 
this siege was in truth a sad one. 

As soon as Wash-ing-ton could train his raw 
troops he made out to get rid of the foe, and one 
morn the Brit-ish got quite a shock when they saw 
that a new line of earth-works had been thrown up 
by him and his men in the night, and that he was in 
the best place, too. This they saw with fear, and 
sent troops by night to drive off our men ; but a 
storm was in their way, so they could not do much 
harm. When the Brit-ish saw that they could not 
force our men to go, they thought it best to leave 
Bos-ton with their ships, which was done. 

When our troops went in the town they found 
its streets strewn with things the Brit-ish had left 
in their haste. All the great guns had spikes in 
them so that they were of no use. But Wash-ing- 
ton was glad to think he had won the day, and 



22 



Lives of the Presidents. 



much praise was his for the part he had in the 
work. He had a fear that the Brit-ish troops might 
be on their way to New York, so he sent part of 

his men to aid those 

they 
fight 



there in case 
should have to 
for their homes. But 
in-stead of that the Brit- 
ish ships made sail for 
Hal-i-fax, from whence 
their troops took all the 
line of forts in Can- 
a-da and made the land 
theirs. 

It was at this time 
that Rich-ard Hen-ry 
Lee, of Vir-gin-i-a, 
made a move in Con- 
gress that our land 
should rise up and say 
it would be free from 
Brit-ish rule ; and for 
this was drawn up the 
Dec-la-ra-tion oi In-de-pend-ence, and the chief men 
of the day put their names to it, and Con-gress, on 
the Fourth of Ju-ly, 1776, put it in force. 

When Wash-ing-ton got this he read it in a loud 







WASH-ING-TON READ-ING THE DEC-LA-RA-TION 
OF IN-DE-PEND-ENCE TO THE AR-MY. 



George Washington. 23 

voice to all his troops, and its strong words did 
much to raise their hopes. For some time they 
had feared that they could not stand or gain their 
rights with such a foe as En-gland, but they took 
heart from this time. 

Lord Howe, the En-glish gov-ern-or, tried to get 
Wash-ing-ton to draw off his men, and sent to him 
word that if he would stop the war the King would 
not be hard on him for the part he took in it. But 
Wash-ing-ton said, *'No; I fight for a just cause, 
and I will not give it up." 

The Brit-ish then went in for war and had all their 
troops land at Long Isl-and. They had three times 
more men than Wash-ing-ton and a host of large 
guns, while he had few. Wash-ing-ton stood on a 
hill near by and through his field-glass saw them 
land. He felt great fear in his heart as he made a 
count of the hordes of the foe. He cried out, as he 
thought of his own troops, '' My God ! What brave 
men must I this day lose !" 

From that time it would seem that all went 
wrong for him. Our ranks were mown down and 
great loss of life took place as they sought to flee 
from the foe. 

It was not long from this time that the dread 
news came to Wash-ing-ton that Gen-er-al Lee, 
who had been sent with a body of troops to guard 



24 



Lives of the Presidents. 



Phil-a-del-phi-a was in the hands of the foe. This 
was the dark hour of the fight, and Wash-ing-ton's 
brave heart was sick with tear. He still tried to 
show a brave Iront, and did not let his men know 
how sad was his heart. 

The Brit-ish now took up their stand at Tren-ton, 




WASH-ING-TON CROSS-ING THE DEL-A-WARE, 

and Wash-ing-ton, who by this time had got more 
troops to his aid, thought he would cross the Del- 
a-ware, though it was full of ice, and come on them^ 
when they did not know it. 

At four, on the dawn of Christ-mas day, he and 
his troops made their way through the ice in the 
stream in boats. The cold was great and the men 
in their poor clothes felt it a great deal, but still 



George Washington. 25 

they would not back out, and kept on their way 
with brave hearts. 

That day our troops put the foe to rout and took 
a great deal of spoils in the way of arms and large 
guns, for which they stood in great need. Great 
was the joy through the land when this news was 
known. 

When the new year came fresh hope sprang up 
in all hearts, for Wash-ing-ton won the fights at 
Ben-ning-ton, Still-wa-ter, and Sar-a-to-ga, and in 
Oc-to-ber of 1777 all the Brit-ish troops in charge 
of Gen-er-al Bur-goyne gave up their arms to Gen- 
er-al Gates. He let them go home when he had 
their pledge that they would not take up arms in 
our war in the years to come. 

That year, when the cold set in, Wash-ing-ton 
made a camp with his men in Val-ley Forge, and a 
hard time they had of it there. Food was scarce, 
and not a man in all his ranks had a good pair of 
shoes on his feet or a whole suit of clothes too his 
back. Some had no shoes at all, and when they 
went round their feet left stains of blood on the 
snow. Yet they all kept their hopes up and still 
had faith in Wash-ing-ton. In the spring the camp 
in this drear place broke up, and all were glad to 
leave it. 

Our troops met the foe once more at Mon-mouth 



26 



Lives of the Presidents. 



Court House, and through the fault of Gen-er-al 
Lee, who had not done as Wash-ing-ton bade him, 
we lost the bat-tie. 

In this fight the Mar-quis de La-fay-ette, a young 
man from France who had come to our land to fight 




WASH-ING-TON AT WEST POINT (neW YORk) 

for our cause, which he knew to be just, got much 
praise for the brave stand he made. 

In the spring of 1779 Sir Hen-ry Clin-ton, now 
the head of the Brit-ish troops, tried to get in his 
hands the posts and forts on the line of the 



George Washington, 



27 



Hud-son. He made out to take two when Wash- 
ing-ton came up in time to cut him off from the rest. 
One of these forts, which was known as Ston-y 
Point, was won at the end of a long fight. Stores 
that were worth a small mint of gold fell into our 
hands. 

Ben-e-dict A r - n o 1 d 
had been put in charge 
of the fort at West Point 
and some posts on the 
line that the Brit-ish 
wished to get. He made 
up his mind to give them 
up to the foe at a price. 

With this thought in 
view, he soon made a 
deal with the chief of the 
foe to give up the posts 
and forts for a large sum /^ ^^^^.^ ^^^^ 
01 gold. 1 he note \,o ^ ^ ^^ /-^.^^c-v^^ ^ i 

Clin-ton in which he ^ 

made his wish known was sent by a young spy, 
Ma-jor An-dre, of the Brit-ish troops. On the 
way back to his fort An-dr6 met three men in 
the dress of our troops and was made to halt. They 
found the lines from Ar-nold in his boots, and 
brought him to the camp of our troops. Pie was 




28 Lives of the Presidents. 

tried and hung as a spy. Wash-ing-ton felt sad 










^4: 



^, 







that he must cut this young man 
off in the prime of his hfe. Yet 
he knew he must do it or our ranks 
would soon be run down by such 
men. But Ben-e-dict Ar-nold had 
by this time made his way in great 
haste to a ship and set sail for 
En-gland, for he was in fear of his life. His name 
is one that all hear with scorn, as a wretch who 



MA-JOR AN-DRE. 



George Washington. 29 

• 

would have sold his land into the nands of the 
foe. The land to which he fled gave him a 
home, but no friends. Let us not speak of him 
in the same breath as those brave men who 
fought and bled that we might live in the land 
of the free. 

With the help of the troops of brave French who 
had been sent to us through La-fay-ette, Oc-to-ber 
19th, 1 78 1, the Brit-ish troops, in charge of Corn- 
wal-lis, gave up their arms to Wash-ing-ton at York- 
town. This was a great stroke of luck that no one 
could have thought would take place. 

1 1 was not long from this time that news was brought 
to Wash-ing-ton that it was the wish of our folk 
that he should take on him the name and crown 
of a King. This might w^ell tempt one fond of 
pomp and state, but Wash-ing-ton was not that 
kind of a man. He spoke his mind in such strong 
words that they did not press a crown on him. 

In March of 1783 came the news of peace 
through the land, which Wash-ing-ton read with joy 
to his troops. Yet he shed tears at the thought 
that they must soon leave him. 

Not long from that time Wash-ing-ton gave up 
the charge of his troops and said good-by to those 
who were his aids in the war. '* I may not come to 
each of you and take my leave," he said with tears 



30 



Lives of the Presidents. 



in his eyes, *'but I shall be glad if you each will 
come to me and let me grasp you by the hand." 

Wash-ing-ton now had a wish to go back to his 
home at Mount Ver-non, where he could rest from 

the toils and cares of 
war. He knew that 
there was no fear of 
the Brit-ish, and that 
our land, for the time 
at least, was in peace. 
At Mount Ver-non 
he gave his time up, 
for the most part, to 
the care of his farm. 
He rose at the break 
of day, as a rule, 
and rode through the 
fields. He wrote a 
great deal each day 
to his friends, and 
did much hard work 
on his place, which 
he did not find was 
in so good a state since the war. 

When our men met in Phil-a-del-phi-a in May, 
1787, to fix on the laws of the land, Wash-ing-ton 
met with them ; and the laws then fixed on and put 




TOMB OF WASH-ING-TON's MOTH-ER. 



George IVashinzton. 



31 



in force are much the same as those we use to-day. 

Then Wash-Ing-ton was at once thought of as the 

right man for Pres-i-dent. You know the way we 

choose a Pres-i-dent in this land is by votes. All 

men do not think the same way or hold the same 

views, so there have been at all times two or more 

bands of men who chose whom they would have 

for Pres-i-dent 

and Vice-Pres- 

i-dent. The 

side that gets 

the most votes 

winstheday, of 

course. In our 

day these two 

bands of men 

are known as 

Dem-o-crats 

and Re-pub-li- 

cans. In years 

past the last were known by the name of Whigs at 

one time. Wash-ing-ton did not wish, at his age 

(near three-score), to take a place of such great care 

and trust, but he was led to do so at last. On his 

way to take this high place he was hailed with joy 

by all. The bells rang out glad peals from the 

church spires of the towns through which he passed, 




WASH-ING-TON S JOUR-NEY 



32 



Lives of the Presidents, 



and young girls clad in white strewed his path with 
sweet buds and bloom, and wreaths were hung and 
flags flung out to the breeze, and the cries of crowds 

•n rent the air. 



While Pres-i-dent 
Wash-ing-ton lived in 
a plain way (for pomp 
and show were not to 
his taste), he was 
prompt in his ways, 
and did all things by 
rule. He was kind to 
those who served him, 
but strict, and would 
not let them slight 
their work. When 
one of his clerks who 
came late each day 
gave as a cause more 
than once that his 
watch was slow, he 
said to him : ''Well, 
you must get a new 
watch, or I must get a new clerk." 

The In-dians once more stirred up war and Wash- 
ing-ton sent out a small force to bring them to terms. 
He served two terms, but would not take a third. 




IN-STALL-A-TION OF WASH-ING-TON. 



George Washington. 



33 



Wash-ing-ton spent the last years of his Hfe in 
peace at home. A-mer-i-ca could ask no more 
from his hands — his 
work was done. His 
arm had been the one 
to save her in the dark 
hours that came ere the 
dawn that made us free, 
and now he must have 
rest. On the 12th day 
of De-cem-ber, 1799, he 
went out to take a ride. 
At noon the snow fell 
and the rain, but he 
went his rounds just the 
same, in spite of it. He 
had felt ere he went on 
this ride that his throat 
was sore, and no doubt 
he caught more cold as 
he made his rounds 
through the storm. He 
had to take to his bed, 
and it was with great 
pain that he could breathe. All known cures 
were tried, but in vain. The end was near. At 
ten in the night they gave up all hope, and his 




COINS. 



34 



Lives of the Presidents. 



wife was brought to the couch where the brave 
man lay in pain. He tried to speak once or twice, 
_^=,,,^^-_^ , _ but did not have 

the strength. At 
length he said, in 
a low voice that 
was full of hope 
for the life to 
come, '''Tis well, 
'tis well ! " These 
were his last 
words. What a 
wail went up from 
far and near when 




.i=i.^SE? 



WASH-ING-TON S MON-U-MENT IN NEW YORK. 



the sad news was known. More than one strong 
man cried like a child. The Old World and the 
New heard of his death with grief. They felt that 
a great man was lost to the world when that brave 
heart had ceased to beat. His name is held dear 
to this day in the hearts of all who live in the land 
he loved. His birth-day has been kept each year 
since he died, and throngs have gone to look at his 
tomb at Mount Ver-non, and felt it to be a boon 
to stand by the spot where the great man lies. 

As we have said, Wash-ing-ton did not think it 
wise to serve for a third term. There is no doubt 
that this course led Jef-fer-son and the rest who 



George Washington. 35 

came af-ter him, to feel that it was best to walk in 
his steps and serve but for eight years. So that 
now we have grown to look on two terms as all that 
a Pres-i-dent should hope for at the hands of his 
friends. 

When Gen-er-al Grant, at the close of the war in 
which he had won so much fame, was placed at the 
head of the land, he served two terms. There was 
some talk of a third. His friends felt that they 
could not do too much to show their love and pride 
in the man who had led our troops so well and put 
an end to the sad war. But there was a cry raised 
by the press that though it was not down in the law 
of the land, yet it was a fixed fact that no one had 
ruled for more than eight years, and no one should 
hope to do so. So the friends of Grant feared to 
bring his name out, though they were in such force 
they might have won the day. There were some 
well known names kept back till it was seen that 
Grant would not be named. Gar-field's was one, 
and it was at last voted on and won the first place. 



CHAPTER II. 

JOHN ADAMS. 

1797 to 1801. 

John Ad-ams, our next Pres-i-dent, was born 
on a farm ' in Brain-tree, Mas-sa-chu-setts, near 
Bos-ton, in 1735, and was the son of one who 
tilled the ground for his bread. The first thing 
John was taught was how to care for the fields 
and feed and take charge of the beasts on the 
farm. 

In the cold months of the year, he was sent to 
the old school-house near by, to learn to read and 
write. From the start he showed signs that 
there was in him what goes to make up a great 
man. 

He went through Har-vard Col-lege, and 
worked for what he lived on, as he read law for two 
years or more at a school near Wor-ces-ter. The 
pay was poor and not what a young man could live 
on in our times, but he was glad to get it, as it 
helped him to reach his aim in life. 

It had been his first wish to learn how to 



4'. 



' 'J 



»-t 





Mns 



3^ 



Lives of the Presidents. 



preach the Word of God, but he found he could 

not put his heart in the creed that was then in use. 

He went into the Bar in 1758, but still lived 

at home on the farm at Brain-tree. He is said to 




HAR-VARD COL-LEGE, AT CAM-BRIDGE, M ASS- A-CHU-SETTS 

have been a man of great mind and bright 
thoughts ; to have had a clear voice, sweet and 
strong, and his speech was full of grace. 

He showed then that he was to be a man who 



John Adams. 



39 



could lead and rule, and his words were sure to 
move all who heard him speak. 

When the '' Stamp Act " passed in 1 764, he took 
his first real turn at the laws of the land, and when 
a mass of folks from his town met to talk of this Act, 




.^uT/i.; 



THE STAMP ACT. 



he made a speech, and sent to those at the head 
of his State his views on it. He first put his 
thoughts into print a year from that time, when he 
brought out a work on law that gained him much 
praise, if not gold. 

The same year the men in Bos-ton bade him, 



40 



Lives of the Presidents. 



with the help of two more friends, to get up a plea 
to the head of the State, in which they asked that 
the courts of the law, which had been closed, should 
be once more made free to all. 

In three years he moved from his old home to 
Bos-ton, where he soon gained a large sum by his 

work in law, which grew each 
year that he was there. 

He was soon known as one 
of the most famed in law of 
his time and his help was 
asked for when a grave case 
came up in the courts. 

When the Brit-ish fired on 
the mob at Bos-ton m 1770, 
he took his stand and put the 
case in a fair way, that the 
folks in their blind rage could 
not judge with cool minds. 
From that time he was the 
one to whom all the heads of our land looked for 
aid in the dark days of the war. He showed them 
on all law points just what it was safe to do and 
how to put the law in force. 

Mr. Ad-ams was one of the five men sent from 
his State to the first Con-gress. He plunged 
at once in the black stream of the Rev-o-lu-tion. 




LIB-ER-TY TREE (bOS-TON COM 

mon). 



John Ada7ns. 



41 



He had no fears for his own hfe, and was filled 
with a wish to aid his land in her hour of war. 

To his friend he said at this time, '' The die 
is now cast. I have passed the point from which I 
may not turn 
back. Sink or 
swim, live or 
die, I care not. 
It is still my 
wish to go 
straight on to 
the goal of my 
hopes." 

In Con-gress 
he held full 
sway, and at his 
rule no one 
dared to raise a 
voice. They 
knew too well 
the man with 
whom they had 
to deal, and that 
they were not so strong as he in mind and thought, 
so they gave way to him. 

It was not long ere he was raised to the head of 
that great band of great men, and we are told he 




IN-DE-PEND-ENCE HALL IN PHIL-A-DEL-PHIA, WHERE THS 
FIRST CON-GRESS WAS HELD. 



42 Lives of the Presidents. 

proved just as wise and shrewd a man as his friends 
had hoped. 

He wrote much for the press in these two years. 
His works were for the most part on the rights of 
our land. He was the first man in Con-gress to 
ask that George Wash-ing-ton be placed at the head 




IN-TE-Rl-OR OF IN-DE-PEND-ENCE HALL IN 1876. 

of our troops. He served for still a year more in 
Con-gress, and had a bill passed which gave the 
States self rule, and was one of the first to help get 
up the Dec-la-ra-tion of In-de-pend-ence, and to 
sign it. It was his help more than that of those 
who worked with him that passed it, for there were 



John Adains. 43 

some men who tried to balk him in it and have the 
scheme thrown out. Jef-fer-son gave him all the 
praise for it, and said that had it not been for him 
the Dec-la-ra-tion would not have been signed. 
Two years from this time he was one to form a 

%^licJM ten,' ihofe^t^i^ diijaslal tullhjti;^ J'hx JJc^ntYO'Tivu /^^ 
C<y<r^ajf<tL^ tr Jr£aefttfT(f of her CanoluU &^ fha 'Wa^ a^aukst Qaitadau 

C^ OU.T ^YoD^ /AYffU^A, Haji, 'h>iio^'y^a/i^ 

JH n^a CL-Yiot, tlCf tAjporu/&c^A>Si: dfaficoL^ti/nte. ^fke.^atj'n 
Of ^T&aJl; ^tcta^ to dt^^Ccfi. t^ of Qury K^Ci^t/rtUa ty C^Jt/r^mj //^ 

COP-Y OF AD-AMS' WRIT-ING. 

new set of laws for his own State of Mas-sa-chu- 
setts. He was sent to France to get up a law that 
would leave their ports and those of En-gland free 
for our ofoods. He had the luck to have his bill 
signed, though he had to work hard for it, and then 
came home, where he was met with joy by the 



44 Lives of the Presidents, 

friends who had hoped long for the news he 
brought them. 

When Wash-ing-ton was made Pres-i-dent, 
Ad-ams was picked out as the best man in all the 
land as his chief aid in the rule of the States, 
and when Wash-ing-ton gained the chair for the 
next term of four years, Ad-ams took the same 
place once more. 

In 1796 Mr. Ad-ams was made Pres-i-dent, as he 
got the most votes that were cast. Jef-fer-son was 
the one who ran with him for the place and lost it 
by but three votes. He was then made Vice-Pres- 
i-dent. Ad-ams kept all the aids that Wash-ing- 
ton had and made no change, though some of 
these did not suit his mind. It was not till three 
years from that time that he took John Mar-shall 
on his staff to look to the laws of the States. 

When Ad-ams ran once more for the Pres-i- 
den-cy he lost it by eight votes, and Thom-as Jef- 
fer-son took the chair to rule for four years. From 
the time that Ad-ams left his place as head of our 
land it seemed as if all his old friends turned from 
him, and that foes new and old seemed to spring up 
for him on all sides. The law that he had passed to 
seize and keep out of our States all who came here 
from strange lands made him foes. Those who 
had once been stirred by the sound of his voice 



John Adams. 



45 



turned from him. His name had no weight in the 
land. It could not move the minds of the crowd 
who once had been proud of him. 

At his home he wrote a book of his life, but he 
did not live to write the last of it. His death was 
at Quin-cy, Mas-sa-chu-setts, on the 4th of July, 
1826, which, strange to say, was the same day that 
Jef-fer-son went to meet his God. 

Ere Ad-ams died he had the good luck to see 
his son take his place as the head of the land in the 
chair he had once held. 




WHITE HOUSE, WASH-ING-TON. 



CHAPTER III. 

THOMAS JEFFERSON. 

1801 to 1809. 

Thom-as Jef-fer-son, who was our third Pres-i- 
dent, was born at Shad-well, Vir-gin-i-a, in 1743. 
Though said to have had, as a boy, no grace of face 
or form, he still gave hopes that at some time he 
would be a great man, for he was quite apt to learn. 
At nine he was quite well read, and knew some 
Greek. Eight years from that time he went in-to a 
high class at Wil-liam and Ma-ry Col-lege. 

Here he spent most of his time in hard work, and 
would read up in his books for the whole day and 
at times far in the small hours of the night. He 
soon knew the speech of all lands of his day, and 
got much praise from those who taught him. 

While at this school he was a friend to Pat-rick 
Hen-ry, who was known in time as one who could 
sway the hearts of men with his words. He spoke 
in a grand way when our first war broke out and 
did much to stir up all that was brave in our land. 

In time, Jef-fer-son had a five years' course at law, 




^^^r 




48 Lives of the Presidents. 

and was one of the Bar. He soon let all know of 
what good stuff he was made. His fees were large, 
and in a year he made friends right and left. In 
1760 he heard Pat-rick Hen-ry's great speech on 
the "Stamp Act." Two years from that time he 
took his seat in Con-gress, and step by step 
he rose to be a great man in the land. He had 
so fine a mind that he soon took the lead of all 
in that great band. He swayed the minds of 
all in the most grave things that came up, 
and showed that he was wise. It was he who 
helped draw up the Dec-la-ra-tion of In-de-pend- 
ence that made us free. It was the fruit of his 
great mind and thought, and his name would liv^ 
for that if he had not done a thing more for ou/ 
land. Some months from the time he made th^ 
draft of this great scroll, he left Con-gress to take a 
part in the acts of his own State, and for two years 
and a half he gave up his time to fix on a safe plan 
her laws and rules, so that they would be more just 
and kind to all men. 

When the men of his State saw what he had 
done to help them, they made him, in 1779, the 
Gov-ern-or of Vir-gin-i-a. He came to the chair 
next to his old friend, Pat-rick Hen-ry, and he held 
it through those dark days of the war when all 
hearts were full of pain and fear. He did much to 




0^ 



;^^>^ 

^(p,,.^^ 











C-OTT/n 



'^Z'-^-VT--*^ ' 



'^■^^^^'^Mtkf^ 










FAC-SIM-I-LE OF THE SIG-NA-TURES TO THE DEC-LA-RA-TION OF IN-DE-PEND-ENCE. 



50 Lives of the Presidents. 

raise the hopes of all and was a kind and just man 
to those who sought his help in the hour of need. 

You may well think that in this ''time that tried 
men's souls" he had his hands full of work. To 
watch those of his own State who had gone to 
the war, to care for those at home, and to keep 
the In-dians back when they sought to prey on 
those who had to live on the edge of the State. 
All this he had to do, and more. Yet in all that 
he tried he won in the end. He stopped the raids 
of his foes, and saw that no one who was born in 
the State should come to want through the war. 

Jef-fer-son was Pres-i-dent eight years, and would 
not take a new term as the head of his State, though 
it was the wish of all that he should. He gave 
as his views that they were in need of a man just 
at that time who had more skill in the art of war 
than he, one who knew more how to guard their 
lands when dark days should come. Two days 
from the time that he left his seat his home and 
farm were laid waste by the foe, and he and his wife 
had scarce time to flee to a safe place. 

For twelve days the State had no head, and the 
men that had met with the view to name one who 
should take Jef-fer-son's place had to fly from the 
foe that came in a swarm from west and north. 

Some years la-ter Jef-fer-son was twice sent to 



Lives of the Presidents. 



51 



France to try and make terms of peace for our land 
and En-gland, and at last got them to pass a bill 
in which they said they would look on our land as 
free. 

This was a great thing for us to gain, and Jef-fer- 
son had much praise for what he had done to bring 

it round. In Con-gress 
that year he brought a bill 
which was put in force. 
This gave us a coin of our 
own make in place of that 
made by the En-glish, which 
had till then been in use. 
Jef-fer-son had been 
one of Wash-ing-ton's aids 
when he was made Pres-i- 
dent, and had charge of 
the States. He had not 
been long in this place 
ere Ham-il-ton, whose work 
was to take care how the 
coin was made for the land, 
got in a broil of words with Jef-fer-son. This in 
time grew to be a strong feud 'twixt the two men. 
From what we can learn it was not the fault of Jef- 
fer-son, for he was a man known to be sweet and 
kind to his friends. It all came from the fact that 




52 Thomas Jefferson. 

he did not hold the same views as Ham-il-ton on 
some points in the State laws. Ham-il-ton thought 
all was done to spite him. 

Time went on, and, slow but sure, the breach 
grew wide 'twixt these men, who should have been 
friends. Then folks took sides with the two men, 
and they were known as Re-pub-li-cans and Fed- 
e-ral-ists. These two bands live to this day, with 
much the same names. Re-pub-li-cans then are 
Dem-o-crats now, and the then Fed-e-ral-ists are 
the Re-pub-li-cans now. 

When En-gland had a war with France, Jef-fer- 
son wished to lend aid to the French, but Ham- 
il-ton thought it best for our land not to take sides, 
so there were some storms of words from both. 
There were two news sheets put in print each day, 
one on the side of Ham-il-ton, and one for Jef-fer-son. 

Lou-is-i-an-a was bought in the time of Jef-fer- 
son, and our fleets won the day in the sea of the Med- 
i-ter-ra-ne-an. Peace was made with Mo-roc-co and 
Trip-o-li, and they were forced from that time to 
treat all men from this land in the right way, and 
not seize them and their goods as they had done. 

Jef-fer-son was Pres-i-dent for eight years — that is, 
two terms. When votes were cast for him, Aar-on 
Burr and he had the same sum of votes, so Burr 
was made Vice Pres-i-dent. Aar-on Burr was a 



Lives of the Presidents. 



53 



man of great gifts and a fine mind, but he had weak 
points that led him wrong. He fought and killed 
Ham-il-ton in July, 1804. This act stirred up the 
rage of the folk so that he had to fly from their wrath. 
He took up a wild scheme to make a grand stir inj 
the world. His plan was to found a sort of throne in' 

Mex-i-co, where he should 
rule with more pomp 
and state than a king. To 
help this plan he made 
friends of a rich man 
named Blen-ner-has-set 
and his wife, and they 
gave him a great part of 
their wealth to aid his 
wild dream. He meant, 
it was said, to bring 
States south and west in 
to his realm. For this 
they took him and tried 
him at Rich-mond in 
1807, but did not prove 
the charge and let him go. He went to Lon-don 
and lived there as a poor man for a time ; then he 
came back to New York and took up the law once 
more, but his day was done, and he died a poor 
man. 




54 



Thomas Jefferson. 



Jef-fer-son held to State Rights with all his 
might, but in the late years of his life he said that 
there were times when the Gov-ern-ment "should 
show its teeth." One thing took place while Jef- 
fer-son held the chair of state, and that was when 
the first steam-boat was made, by Rob-ert Ful-ton. 
We had had all kinds of ships, but none that went 
by steam, and all were glad that a means had been 
found to use that great force. 

The first boat built to go by this 
means did not look at all like those 
we have in use on the streams and 
lakes of our times. It could not 
go near so fast — not more than five 
miles per hour when at its best 
speed. Ful-ton did not find his 
task a light one to prove that steam 
was the best thing with which 
to move a boat. The folks had a mind to scoff 
and jeer at his plans, and it was not till his boat, 
the Cler-mont, was tried, that they felt what a great 
work he had done. The trip of the Cler-mont up 
the Hud-son made a good deal of stir, as it 
passed in a cloud of smoke and sparks up the 
stream. Men were scared when they first saw 
it pass, but they soon learned the good work that 
steam might do. 




ROB-ERT FUL-TON. 



Lives of the Preside^its. 



55 



When Jef-fer-son was at the head of his State he 
sought to do three things : first, to put an end to 
the slave trade ; next, to have lands left to all the heirs 
of a house, and not to the first-born son ; and third, 
to let all men have a right to serve God in ^ their 
own way. In the great school that he built he 




FUL-TON S CLER-MONT STEAM-ER. 



thought it best to tricst the young men and not to 
spy on them. He did not hold strict views of faith, 
and was a man of free thought, though he had trust 
in Christ. He was for free trade to the end of his 
life. He held that a man that could not read or 
write should not have a vote, as he thought the land 
should be ruled by wise men. Books were at all 



5 6 Thomas Jefferson. 

times his friends, and he was fond of Greek verse. 
In his home he was loved by young and old. He 
had a warm heart and a cool head. He was so 
poor at one time that he had to sell his books. 
Con-ofress bouo^ht them and took them to Wash- 
iner-ton. There were such loads of them that it 
took days to take them to their new home. 

Jef-fer-son was a man of plain tastes and wore 
plain clothes. He did not care for pomp and state, 
and had no taste for names of rank. He was kind 
to all who came to speak with him. He held that 
it was wrong to keep slaves. In his home at Mon- 
ti-cel-lo, to which he went when he left the White 
House, he kept a free house where he was glad to 
meet all his friends and give them the best he had. 
His wife had brought him much wealth in land and 
slaves, but he died poor, for he dealt it all out with 
a free hand. When he was four-score years old he 
was still strong and could ride on a horse ten miles 
a day. The time drew near for his strength to fail, 
but his mind was clear. He grew more weak, and 
said, as he lay on his bed, that the scenes of the 
Rev-o-lu-tion came to him from time to time. He 
said he felt no fear of the end. '' I am like an old 
watch," he said, *'a spring is worn out here — a wheel 
there, and it can not go long." 

*'This is the 4th?" he said to a friend who sat by 



Lives of the Presidents. 



57 



his bed. The friend bent his head. *'Ah!" said 
Jef-fer-son, and a glad look came to his face. 

He died on the 4th of Ju-ly, 1826, and on that 
same day one more great man passed from this life 
in the State of Mas-sa-chu-setts. This was John 
Ad-ams, whose son was Pres-i-dent. 

A rough sketch was 
left by Jef-fer-son of a 
stone to mark his grave. 
He wished men to 
know that he had 
formed the Dec-la-ra- 
tion of In-de-pend-ence. 
He was the one who 
built the U-ni-ver-si-ty 
of Vir-gin-i-a, a great 
school for young men, 
which stands to this 
day. He was so poor 
when he died that all 
his lands were sold in a 
short time, and the 
ground where he was laid went with the rest. Next 
to Wash-ing-ton, he is said to have been the best 
chief of a free land that the world has known. 




STAT-UE OF JEF-KER-SON IN FRONT OF THE 
WHITE HOUSE, WASH-ING-TON. 



CHAPTER IV. 

JAMES MADISON. 

1809 to 1817. 

James Mad-i-son had more votes than C- C. 
Pinck-ney,and so he was our fourth Pres-i-dent. He 
was born in Vir-gin-i-a in 1751. While he was yet 
a boy in years he went to school at Prince-ton Col- 
lege, New Jer-sey, which stands to this day. When 
he left school he took up the law, and in five years 
was made one of the first in his State. He lost 
his place on the next vote, for he would not buy up 
those who could place him in the chair. Two years 
from that time he was sent to Wash-ing-ton, and 
soon took a lead in the laws of our land, and grew 
to be one of the great men of his day, feared by his 
foes and loved by all who had the good of the 
States at heart. 

He, too, made one of that brave band of men 
who met to make up the *' Dec-la-ra-tion of In-de- 
pend-ence," and did much to bring it out. His 
voice and pen gave their aid to put it through, and 
much praise is due him for his work in this cause. 

He was the right hand man of Pres-i-dent Jef- 



■"^^^^^ n^' 



1 '\ 




y^/t^<yC^ ^/^ Oi^^^^^'l^ 



6o Lives of the Presidents. 

fer-son, who made him Sec-re-ta-ry of State, and he 
served in this place for a term of eight years, and 
all said that he did well while there. 

In 1809 he was made Pres-i-dent, and soon from 
the time he went in he made a tour of all the posts 
from east to west and south and north, to see if 
they were strong in case there should be a new war 
in the land. 

When he came in he found that our land was not 
pleased with En-gland. The cause of this was that 
En-gland would stop our ships on the sea and search 
them, which they thought was not just. So at last 
war once more broke out, and at first all went wrong 
with us. The red men took sides with the foe, and 
a great chief of theirs of the name of Te-cum-seh 
tried to form a plan to join all the In-dians in a war 
on the whites. He was a brave man and fought 
hard in the fight, but at last he fell, and with him 
his cause. 

Though we did not win much on the land, we 
had good luck in all our fights on the sea. It was 
in one of these fights that the words '' Don't give 
up the ship " were first heard, from the lips of one 
who got his death wound on the deck of his 
ship. 

In one of the great sea fights we had nine ships 
on our side, and there were six on that of the foe. 



James Madison. 



6i 



We fought so well that it was not long ere the Brit- 
ish lost all their ships. When it was a sure thing 
that we had won, Per-ry, who led our ships, wrote 
home/* We have met the foe and they are ours." 

There was war now for three years, and in the 
last year of it the Brit-ish took some of our towns 
on the south coast and marched to Wash-ing-ton. 
Mad-i-son and his aids had been on the field 
of war all day, 
and when they 
saw there was 
no chance for 
them, they rode 
back to Wash- 
ino^-ton to save 
all they could. 
Mrs. Mad-i- 
son had a cart 
load of things 
packed up to go off with when she thought of the 
great por-trait of Wash-ing-ton which hung on one 
of the walls of the Pres-i-dent's room. The frame 
was too large to take down, so the shrewd la-dy cut 
the can-vas from its frame and took it with her in 
safe-ty. The En-glish troops came in and set fire to 
the Pres-i-dent's house and the State House, and in 
fact to all the town. 




FLIGHT FROM WASH-ING-TON. 



62 



Lives of the Presidents. 



They next went to Bal-ti-more to take that city, 
but were forced to leave with great loss. Fort Mc- 
Hen-ry guards the cit-y. Fran-cis Scott Key had 
gone oTi board one of the ships with a flag of truce 
to see if the En-glish would let off some men tak-en 
at Wash-ing-ton. He was kept on the En-glish ship 
while the fight went on. When it stopped at night 
Key had to wait till dawn to see if the flag was still 
on the fort. On the deck of that ship, where he 




FORT MC-HEN-RY. 



passed the night with no thought of sleep, he made 
up the song of ''The Star Span-gled Ban-ner," since 
one of our great songs, and which should be known 
by all the boys and girls in the land. 

"Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, 

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? 
Oh, say, does the star spangled banner yet wave 
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?" 

They tried to make a raid on New Or-leans, but 
Gen-er-al Jack-son, who had charge of the town, 



Javies Madison. 63 

built up miles of breast-works with bales and fought 
back of them with his men, so that the foe could 
not get near the place, though they tried hard to 
do so. 

This was the last fight that took place in this war, 
and w^hen peace was made both sides were glad of 
it. Peace was signed at Ghent, De-cem-ber 24, 
18 14. From that day En-gland has had no right 
to make a search in our ships, and we have been at 
peace. 

Mad-i-son, when his first term of four years as 
the head of our land was through, was put in the 
chair for four years more, so much was he liked by 
all. In this last term Mad-i-son gave his seal to a 
Bill which gave the right to form a great bank for 
the whole land, to last a score of years. 

On the fourth of March of 181 7 he went back to 
his home for rest and peace from the hard work he 
had gone through. But it was not long ere he was 
heard once more in the halls of the law. In 1829 
he was one who had in charge the change that was 
to be made in the code of laws for the whole land. 

He died at his home in Mont-pe-lier, in Vir- 
gin-i-a, June 28, in the year 1836. 



CHAPTER V. 

JAMES MONROE. 

I 8 I 7 to 1825. 

James Mon-roe, the fifth Pres-i-dent of our land, 
was born in West-more-land coun-ty, Vir-gin-I-a, in 
the year 1758. Hisfa-ther held large tracts of land 
in that part of the State, where he grew all kinds of 
grain and herbs that are found in the South, and 
was a man of some wealth. As he had means he 
gave his son James a good chance to learn at school, 
so that he did not have to work and teach while 
there to make what he lived on. 

When war broke out in 1776, Mon-roe, though 
not much more than a boy in years, joined our 
troops at the first call ''to arms!" and at once 
proved what was in him. 

He was a brave youth, and it was not long ere 
Wash-ing-ton made him the head of a part of his 
troops for the good work he had done in the fight. 
Mon-roe fought at White Plains and Har-lem 
Heights, and was much praised for his share in 
what was done there. 



65 Lives of the Presidents. 

When the great fight took place at Tren-ton he 
got his first wound from a spent ball that laid him 
up for some time. For his brave acts he was raised 
to a still more high place in the charge of our 
troops. 

At the famed fights of Mon-mouth and Brandy- 
wine he still held his place as one of the most brave 
men that went out to fight tor our just cause. He 
was at all times the first man to lead the way to the 
foe and the last to give up all hope and flee when 
the tide of war turned the wrong way. 

Two years from the time he took up arms to save 
his land, he tired of the noise of war and the clash 
of arms, went back once more to his old life and to 
learn law with Thom-as Jef-fer-son. 

He got on well from the start, and it was but a 
few years from the time he made his start in this 
new line that we hear of him as one of the first in 
the land. At his State con-ven-tion he would not 
give his aid to pass the laws, which he said gave 
too much strength into the hands of the Gov-ern- 
ment. Since he took this view of the case he joined 
a band of men who held much the same views as 
the Re-pub-li-can par-ty of our own times. 

In 1 790 he was made Sen-a-tor for a term of four 
years. At the end of this time he went to France 
to look out for our rights there, but he was called 



James Mo7u^oe. 67 

back in two years from his work. This was done, 
it is said, from the fact that he took a part with the 
Re-pub-h-cans in France, and did not tend to that 
which he had been charged with by our land. 

When he came back he was made the head of 
the State of Vir-gin-i-a, and served as such for three 
years. He was then sent to France once more, to 
buy the State of Lou-i-si-a-na from the hands of the 
French. 

He bought this vast tract of land from Na-po- 
le-on for the sum of $15,000,000, which was a small 
price for such a large place, though it was in a 
rough, wild state at that time. 

Mon-roe was sent twice to Spain and to En-gland. 
He then went back to the place of his home life, 
for he could say with truth that he had well earned 
a time of rest. 

It was not long ere he was called to take part 
once more in the stir and noise of the times. He 
was made Gov-ern-or of Vir-gin-i-a, then one of the 
first aids to Pres-i-dent Mad-i-son, and at last, to 
crown all, he was named for Pres-i-dent by the 
Dem-o-crats and got the most votes, which gave 
him the first place, by the laws of our land. 

His rule was much like that of the man whose 
place he took, and it must be said that his task was 
not so hard as some who had held the chair. Peace 



68 



Lives of the Presidents. 



had come to us, the storm of war was heard nc 
more, the roar of guns was dead. The corn and 
grass had sprung up on the graves of our men who 
were slain \w the fight, and birds sang once more 
where shot and shells had brought death. 

The first thing 
Mon-roe did was 
to pay off the 
great debt which 
the war had 
brought on, and 
it was not long 
ere he had paid 
up to a cent what 
was due, and 
wiped the claim 
out. When this 
was done, our 
trade at once 
grew in size and 

our shlDS with e-rie ca-nal (mo-hawk val-ley). 

loads of goods were seen once more to dot the 
sea with their white sails. The hopes of all seemed 
to rise. The land smiled with fields of grain, and 
the wheels of our mills were at work both day and 
night. 




It had been a hard thing at all times to get this 



James Monroe. 69 

grain and things from the towns and farms far from 
the streams or the sea to where it could be sold. 
For this rea-son a long place like a trench was dug 
all the way from Buf-fa-lo to Al-ba-ny, so that the 
Hud-son could fill it, and by this means boats could 
go back and forth from this place to that, with their 
loads in a much more short way than by land. The 
first rail-road was built, too, at this time, for the same 
cause. 

This year the In-dians in the South grew fierce 
and went in for war. Joined by some blacks they 
tried to rob and burn the homes of our folks in the 
wild parts of the States. Gen-er-al Jack-son, at 
length, with the aid of a small force of troops, made 
his w^ay into their midst and forced them to lay 
down their arms and come to his terms. 

Two En-glish-men whom Gen-er-al Jack-son 
thought had tried to stir up the In-dians to fight, 
were hung by him, and though his foes sought to 
brine shame on him for this act, Mon-roe said he 
had done right. 

A-bout this time the King of Spain gave Flor- 
i-da to us, and we in turn gave up Tex-as and paid 
a large sum to the A-mer-i-cans there for what they 
had been robbed of by Spain. 

Mis-sis-sip-pi, Al-a-bam-a, Maine and Il-li-nois 
were made States in Mon-roe's term, and Ar-kan- 



:o 



Lives of the Presidents. 



sas Ter-ri-to-ry was named. Mis-sou-ri was made 
a State late in the year 1817. This was when the 
famed Bill, the Mis-sou-ri Com-pro-mise, came up. 
The great point was that no one should hold slaves 
in it when a State. This the South did not like, 
and fought, not with arms but by a war of words, to 
make it a slave State, for they feared the North 
would get too strong if they had all their own way. 
At last Con-gress let Mis-sou-ri come in as a slave 
State, but made a law that a line should be drawn 
in the land, and that north of this line no one should 
hold slaves. 

There were but a few slaves held at this time, but 
the trade grew and grew till all States south of this 
line held them. 

All were pleased by the way Mon-roe served as 
head of the land, and when the votes were cast in 
1820 they chose him for a term of four years more 
to fill the chair and hold the reins of the States' 
laws. 

Two years from this some States in South A-mer- 
i-ca said they would not bear the yoke of strange 
lands, that they would be free. The U-nit-ed 
States took part with them in this, and held the 
same views — that they should form a Re-pub-lic of 
Oieir own. 

Mon-roe said in 1823 that they should be looked 



James Monroe. 



71 



on as such, and that A-mer-i-ca should not bear the 
yoke the lands in the Old World sought to place on 
them. This view which he took was known from 
that day to this as the Moii-roe Doc4ri7te. 

In 1825 Mon-roe left the cares of the State and 
sought rest and peace in home life at Oak Hill, 
Vir-gin-i-a. He died on the Fourth of Ju-ly, 1831, 
in New York, and left a name that may well be 
placed by that of Wash-ing-ton and Jef-fer-son as 
one who worked well for the good of his land and 
fought the brave fight in her hour of need. 




IN-DIAN WAR-RIORS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. 

1825 to 1829. 

On Ju-Iy II, 1767, in Brain-tree, Mass-a-chu- 
setts, where the town of Quin-cy now stands, was 
born John Quin-cy Ad-ams. Two streams of the 
best blood in the land ran in the veins of the child, 
and it was not strange that in time to come he grew 
to be a great man. 

He had one of the best starts in life that a boy 
could have. All of his race were brave and wise, 
and came of the best stock to be found through all 
the length and breadth of the States. He was the 
son of the great John Ad-ams, who took the chair 
next to Wash-ing-ton. The war with En-gland held 
full sway when he was a boy, and the first sound 
his ears heard was the roar of guns, and he saw 
the smoke of the fight, for the town where they had 
their home at one time was quite in the seat of war. 

When he was a boy of some nine years of age, he 
would ride by post to the scene of the fight and 
brino^ what news there was to his folks at home. 




5. 5. Xl 



^ifhij 



74 Lives of the Presidents. 

You may know that as the war went on so near 
his home he did not have much of a chance to go to 
school, but he was apt to learn, and heard and saw 
much that in the years to come was of just as much 
use to him, if not more, as that which he might 
have read in books. 

When he was not much more than ten years of 
age he went to France to school, and we are told 
that he wrote of his trip and what took place there 
down in a book, so that when he grew old he might 
look back and see what he did when a boy. 

Though he spent his school life in the most gay 
town of France, yet he did not fall in-to bad ways, 
as most boys would have done who found they were 
their own lords in a strange land. 

When he came back to his own home once more, 
he was much the same boy who had gone from 
there some few years since. He had not changed 
in the life he had led in strange lands, his heart was 
still bound up in his dear old home and those who 
lived there. 

He at once read up when he got home all the 
books that fell in his way, and in a short time had 
stored his mind so that he couid go to Har-vard 
Col-lege, where he went through each course by the 
year 1787. He made up his mind, when through 
school, to take up law and make it the work of his 



John Qiiincy Adams. 75 

life, so it is not long from this time that we find him 
at this in Bos-ton. 

He soon wrote screeds for the news sheets of the 
day, which gave him some fame, so that men would 
talk of his name and ask who he was. 

Some of the things which he wrote had for their 
aim Tom Paine, who wrote a book in which he 
sought to prove that there was no God, and that 
the Church was wrong. In 1794 he was sent o'er 
the sea to stand for the rights of our folks in the 
land of the Dutch. He staid there for some time 
and was then sent to Port-u-gal for the same good 
work, and thence to Ber-lin, where he found there 
was much to be done. 

It was his chief work while here to brino^ round 
peace be-tween Prus-sia and his own land, and when 
this was done he came back home and took up law 
at the old place where he got his first real start in life. 

In 1802 he was sent to the Sen-ate, which at that 
time was much sought for by men of brains and 
mind, for it led to some things that were worth 
while as an aim in life. 

While here he had a chance to show of what 
good stuff he was made, for he was down on all 
bills that he thought might bear down too hard on 
the poor in the land, which were brought in by a 
few men who hoped to get rich. 



yb Lives of the Presidents. 

As he was such a good man who dared to do 
rieht, of course there were some bad men who tried 
to do him harm when they got a chance, but he 
fought them down one by one. 

He was once more sent to Rus-sia to act for our 
land there, but he came back In a short time. 

When he came home it was to take a high place 
in the State, near the new Pres-i-dent, James Mon- 
roe. He went to Wash-ing-ton to live, which at 
that time was but a group of hous-es on a waste of 
sand. It was a great change for him to be raised 
to such a high place in the laws of his land, but 
he stood the test well, and his foes could not but 
say that he was the right man in the right place. 

Four names were put up for Pres-i-dent at this 
time: J. Q. Ad-ams for the East, W. W. Craw- 
ford in the South, An-drew Jack-son and Hen-ry 
Clay, West. On March 4, 1825, he was made 
Pres-i-dent, and J. C. Cal-houn Vice Pres-i-dent. 
Hen-ry Clay had the charge of the funds. One of 
the great things that took place while he w^as in was 
the first rail-road that was built. It was but three 
miles in length, and the cars were drawn by a horse, 
not steam. 

The first steam car, when it came in use from En- 
gland, was a poor sort of a thing. It could not go 
fast, and at first it used to scare off the cows and sheep 



John Quincy Adams. 



11 



on the farms it went by, and those who Hved near 
the track thought their last hour had come for sure, 
though in time they did not mind it at all. Ca-nals 
were made in New York at this time. 

Hen-ry Clay, who had a 
high place in the time of J. 
Q. Ad-ams, was born in Vir- 
gin-i-a, and was a poor boy. 
He went to a small log school- 
house to learn his first tasks, 
but he rose to be one of the 
first in the land. He spoke with 
such strength and force, as well 
as grace, that he could sway 
the minds of all men. He 
used to learn by heart what 
he read when a boy and speak it, and he thought 
that was one way in which he had gained so much 
ease. He says: ''I made more than one off-hand 
speech in the corn fields or in the woods, where but 
an ox or horse could hear me." 

It was said of Clay that on his tomb one might 
write these words: 

'' Here lies one who led men for years by the 
mere force of his mind, yet who was not known to 
swerve from the truth or call in lies to help him." 

In the strife of North and South on slave laws, 




HEN-RY CLAY. 



78 



Lives of the Presidents, 




Hen-ry Clay made more than one great speech to 
try and keep the peace. 

De Witt CHn-ton, who In 1812 had run for Pres- 

i-dent against Mad-i-son, was 
one of the oreat men of his aee. 
He was Chief of the State of 
New York, and took great 
thought on the E-rie Ca-nal, 
and did much to make it a thing 
of fact. It was a great thing 
for the whole U-nion when the 
boats found they could reach the 
o-cean through the State. Clin- 
ton was brought in a barge down 
from Lake E-rie to the Cit-y of 
New York, and had with him a pail of lake wa-ter, 
which was thrown into the sea, and it was said to be 
the ''wed-ding of the Lakes and the O-cean." 

It was while Ad-ams was in the chair that there 
was much talk of a tax that was to be put on all 
goods that were brought here from far lands, and we 
hear a good deal of it to this day. There were some 
who thought it was wrong, and some who thought 
it the best thing. Ad-ams went in for a high tax, 
which was the first cause why he did not hold the 
chair for more than one te.rm. 

He once more had a high place in 1830, when he 



DE WITT CLIN-TON. 



John Qtiincy Adams. 



79 



was sent from his State to Wash-ing-ton. He died 
at his home in Ouin-cy, No-vem-ber 23, 1848. His 
last words were : "This is the last of earth — I am 



glad!" 




WED-DING OF THE LAKES AND THE O-CEAN. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ANDREW JACKSON. 

1829 to 1837. 

An-drew Jack-son was the son of a poor man, 
who died when the boy was but a few days old. 
His Hfe while he was a child was full of hard work. 
He did not care for books, and in those days there 
were few that would please a child. When the 
war with En-gland broke out he fell at one time 
in-to the hands of the foe. He was then a youth 
with a will of his ow^n, as he showed when he was 
bade to clean some boots. He said it was not the 
place of a free-born A-mer-i-can to clean Brit-ish 
boots. He was not meek or mild, and to be told to 
do such work made his blood boil. He kept his 
word in spite of hard blows, and at last the man 
shot him, and he was thrown in jail with a wound. 
There he got the small-pox. He knew not where 
to turn when he came out of jail, for he was poor 
and there was no one left to help him. But he 
made his way with a brave heart, though he had 
more than one fight in his time and could show 



82 



Lives of the Preside7its. 



scars that were not won in war. He had a great 
hate for En-gland, as he lost those near and dear 
to him through the war with that land. He tried 
to learn a trade, but at last made up his mind to 
take to the law. He was gay, fond of a race or a 
cock-fight, and yet he made out to get on in some 
way. In our days a boy needs to learn much more 

to get to the bar than then, 
and it cost less in those 
days. A boy who worked on 
the farm in the warm months 
could learn as much in the cold 
time of the year as the schools 
could give him. To a young 
man who wished to rise, the 
first step was to learn law ; so 
that grew to be the first grand 
aim of a boy's heart. It is said 
that Jack-son did not make 
much of the law, as he had not the sort of mind to 
rise in that line, but he did not choose to be a 
drudge on a farm or at a trade. 

He went with a friend to the State of Ten-nes- 
see in 1788. The class of men who lived there then 
were those who first broke the path in the wild 
woods, and they were more fond of drink than of 
work. They were at all times in strife, and liked 




BACK-WOODS-MEN. 



Andrew Jackson. 



83 



to go to law. Drink and debt and fight filled the 
land. Jack-son had a post in which it was his 
task to find out the rights and the wrongs of things 
and try and bring in law to set them straight. The 
red men, too, were on the war-path, as they did not 
wish to give up their land. Jack-son went on his 




NEW OR-LEANS. 



way, though at times as he rode up and down to do 
his work he risked his life, for he made strong foes, 
though he won strong friends. He fought in the 
war with En-gland and built up the breast-works in 
New Or-leans from the back of which the men fired 
and won the day. He was sent to Wash-ing-ton 



84 Lives of the Presidents, 

from his State, but he did not care for his Hfe there, 
and formed no ties that it was hard to break. It 
was said that at that time he was a tall, lank man, 
with no grace. His long locks of hair hung down 
his face, and his cue in the back was tied with an 
eel-skin. His dress was strange, and all his ways 
those of a rouo^h man from the back-woods. More 
late in life he learned the ways of the best bred 
folks in the land. But he felt in such a strong way 
on all points and was so rash that when he rose to 
speak in the Sen-ate he would choke with rage, so 
he did not do much in that line. 

He was made Judge of the Court in his own 
State, but naught is known of his acts at that time. 
He then went home and spent some years in work, 
but by no means in peace. He was at all times one 
who held out for what he thought his rights, and 
this oft led to strife. More than once he called out 
the man he thought his foe, and the aim of each 
was to kill. In one of these fights Jack-son got a 
wound which made him weak for life, and in one 
he had a ball put in him which he bore for a 
score of years. 

But when the Creek war came with the red men 
and then a war with En-gland, Jack-son showed that 
though he was not good to keep the peace, he had 
the rieht sort of stuff in him to lead in war. He 



Andrew Jackson. 85 

did not want to mind, though, but would be head, 
and he showed that he was strong and that he could 
bear all kinds of hard work and not give up. He 
knew how to sway his men and make them do his 
will, and he did not know what it was to tire while 
there was aught to be done. The young men of 
the State made haste to 'list with him, and his ranks 
were kept well filled. Those who had fought with 
him had gfreat tales to tell and were made much of 
when they got home. Though he was most strict, 
and some thought hard, he did not fear to do what 
he thought was right, though all sought to hold him 
back. From the time when he put an end to the 
Creek war the fame of Jack-son dates. At New 
Or-leans, where the En-glish sought to strike a 
great blow, he was on hand, so that they met 
with orreat loss. 

While he was Pres-i-dent there were some at the 
South who felt that the North had more than its 
share of wealth and land. There were more great 
mills and more goods made at the North than at 
the South. There were some who made a plan to 
cut loose and set up a new band of States. They 
had all their young men drilled for war, and got 
arms and chose a man to lead them. His name 
was John C. Cal-houn, and he was to be their first 
chief. But Jack-son said : '' If a State could go 



86 



Lives of the Presidents. 



out of the U-nion when it chose, our land would 
come to naught." And he sent troops and ships 
of war and put a stop to all that sort of thing in a 
short time. 

There was a tribe of red men in Flor-i-da who 
did not wish to lose their land and give way to the 
white man. They fought for a long time in the 

swamps of that land. Slaves 

who had fled from their homes 

were with them. One of the 

chiefs had a slave girl for a wife, 

and when she went with him to 

one of the forts she was seized 

and kept as a slave, and the 

chief was put in chains. He 

made a vow that he would fight 

the white man as soon as he was 

free. So he led his tribes to 

war. His name was Os-ce-o-la. 

They took him at last, and kept him in one of the 

forts till his death. But the war went on for years, 

at a great cost of life, till few of that tribe were left 

in the land. 

When the En-glish left New Or-leans, Jack-son 
still kept all the troops up to the mark. He was 
thought a hard man, as he let no fault go, and he 
had men shot who left their posts or went home 







JOHN C. CAL-HOUN. 



Andrew Jackson. 



87 



when they had no leave. But in this, though he 

seemed hard he was wise, and he had to keep up 

the laws of war. At the same time the one who 

was the most hard to rule was Jack-son's own self. 

He w^as quick to get in to strife, and had more foes 

than he could count. But from the time he was 

made Pres-i-dent the land 

gained strength each year. 

Steam-boats came more in 

use, and more rail-roads 

were built. All were proud 

of their Pres-i-dent. They 

felt, ''he is one of us — he 

stands by us — he does not 

care for style, but for what 

is sound and strong and 

good." 

There was much strife in 
his time as to a tax on 
wool, steel, wine, and a 
long list of things. Some 
thouQ-ht that it was best for those who made o^oods 
here to have all taxed that were made in strange 
lands. 

In Jack-son's time there was a great bank built 
which had the name of the Bank of North A-mer- 
i-ca. This was the cause of strife. State banks 




US-CE-O-LA. 



Lives of the Presidents. 



were not liked at that time, as it was thought they 
did not deal in a fair way with all sorts of men, but 
did the best for their friends. This bank was to be 
for the whole land, and it had large funds. It was 
built in Phil-a-del-phi-a. In the first two years it 
went far to make things worse than they were. It 
took the lead in all sorts of wrong jobs with the 
shares, and it plunged the land in hard times. 
There was what was called a bank war. Some 

had no faith in that sort 
of bank, and brought 
more than one charge to 
show that it did not deal 
in the right way. There 
was a great deal of this 
strife through both terms 
while Jack-son was Pres- 
i-dent, but at last the 
great bank came to an end, and crowds of those 
who were in high place in the land lost all they had. 
Mex-i-co set its slaves free in 1824. Tex-as was 
brought in the Un-ion, and through all this term the 
growth of the land was great. But as it reached 
its end there were strikes and strife of all kinds.' 
The high price of food was the cause of mobs. 
Rents, too, were more than the poor men could 
pay. At one time flour and wheat were seized by 




U-NI-TED STATES BANK. 



A ndrew Jackso7t. 



89 



a mob. Troops had to be called out to keep the 
peace. This was just at the end of Jack-son's 
term. Jack-son took good care of his friends, and 
put them in good posts, and to make way for them 
moved out six hun- 
dred and nine-ty folks 
in his time. He went 
out with a glad heart, 
and set forth at once 
for his old home. On 
the way he was met 
with all the old marks 
of love by friends. 
He was still a great 
strength in the land. 
Hedied JuneS, 1845. 
He had all the fame 
that he could have 
dreamed of in his 
youth. What he had 
set his heart on he 
had gained. His foes 
were all brought low. In his last years he joined 
the church and died at peace with all men. 




IN-DIAN DRESS-ES, WEAP-ONS AND OR-NA-MENTS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 



1837 to 1841. 



Van Bu-ren was born at Kin-der-hook, New 
York, in 1782. He did not get a chance to go 
much to school when a boy, but made the most of 




STATE HOUSE, AL-BA-NY, NEW YORK (1885). 



his time while there. He took up law when he 
was quite a young man, and in 1821 was sent 
from his State to Wash-ing-ton, and in six years or 




^yi^T^'^^^^^^^^^^^'^^^^^t^ 



92 Lives of the Presidents. 

more they chose him to be the head man of New 
York State. 

When he was placed in the chair by the will of 
our land, he ai; once put an end to the war with the 
In-dians. When he took his seat hard times were 
at hand and all trades were at a low ebb. In a 
few months from the day he took the oath all the 
banks in New York gave up, and would pay no 
more in gold and coin, and the banks in not a few 
of the States did the same thing. Crowds of men 
were thrown out of work, and the streets were full 
of those who had naught to do. Trade was at a 
stand-still and the price of food and clothes rose at 
once. 

Yet no one could blame Van Bu-ren for the state 
things were in. He did but reap what had been 
sown by those who had gone. He said that one 
cause of these hard times was that folks had lost the 
plain tastes of the old times and spent too much, so 
they must bear it. 

Late in the year of 1837 those who lived in 
Can-a-da tried to set up laws of their own and to 
have a home rule. There were not a few in our 
land who took sides with them, and a large force of 
men from New York went to their aid, but they 
were soon put down. 

For a while it seemed that our peace with En- 



Martin Van Bitren. 



93 



gland was at an end, and that a new war would 
spring up. Van Bu-ren at once said that no man 
in our land should aid the cause of those in Can- 
a-da or they should be put in jail so at last the fear 
of a new war was put down 
by these means. 

Van Bu-ren ran once 
more for his seat as the 
head of our land, but lost 
it this time. Har-ri-son 
was the one who took his 
place. 



There were great times 
at the race as to who should 
rule next. Van Bu-ren was 
rich and had been Pres-i- 
dent four years. Har-ri- 
son was poor, but made a 
great name in the In- 
dian wars. The race was 
said to be the '' Log 
Cab-in a-gainst the White 
House," and those who went for Har-ri-son drank 
a great deal of ci-der. It was called the "hard 
ci-der race." 

Van Bu-ren died at his old home at Kin-der- 
hook, Ju-ly 24, 1862, near four-score years of age. 




THE HARD CI-DER CAM-PAIGN. 



CHAPTER IX. 

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON AND JOHN TYLER. 

1841 to 1845. 

Har-ri-son, our ninth Pres-i-dent, was born in 
Vir-gin-i-a in 1773. He was the son of a good and 
learn-ed man, who gave his boy all the chance to go 
to school and learn that he could wish. Har-ri-son 
was fond of books when but a child in years, and 
was more apt than most of his age to learn his 
tasks. 

He was quite a youth when he got through school, 
and took up arms in the In-dian war, but he had a 
man's heart in his breast that bade him go forth and 
fight for his home and the good cause of his land. 

He showed so much pluck in this war that he 
was soon placed at the head of some troops, where 
he still kept his name up as a brave man. 

When he had had six years of war he gave up 
his place to rest at home for a while, but he was 
soon asked by one of the States to take his seat in 
Con-gress. 

He was made Gov-ern-or of In-di-an-a for three 







^/^^^:2^^^»c^ 



96 



Lives of the Prcsidejits. 



terms, so much was he Hked by those who Hved in 
the State. 

He made peace with the In-dians for a time, and 

when they 

went on the 

war-path 

once more 

he put them 

to rout at 

T i p - p e - c a- 

noe. For his 

brave work 

in this fight 

he was made 

! Gcn-e-ral, 

J and in our 

'fight with 

-' the Brit- 

_ ish at the 

m Thames 

he gained 

^^^•^^' the best of 




TE-CUM-SEH AND HAR-RI'SON. 



th 



em. 



Te-cum-seh, the chief of the In-dians whom Har- 
ri-son whipped at Tip-pe-ca-noe, was the most a-ble 
red man of his time. If he had been brought up 
in our days and had our chance at school he would 



John Tyler. 97 

have been a ver-y great man. He was ver-y brave, 
too. One time he was asked to call on Har-ri-son 
and talk of the war and what should be done. Har- 
ri-son sat on a chah' with all his aids round him, 
and Te-cum-seh saw there had been no place fixed 
for him. He showed he did not like this, and one 
of the aids brought in a chair and said, "Your 
fa-ther asks you to sit by his side." Te-cum-seh 
drew his wrap round him and said : "The Great 
Spir-it is my fa-ther and I will re-pose on the bo-som 
of my moth-er," and sat down on the ground. 

Har-ri-son ran in 1836 for Pres-i-dent, but did 
not get the most votes. Four years from that time 
he was named once more for the place, and this 
time won by a great vote. 

But he did not live long to reap the fruit of his 
hard work in the cause of his land. He took his 
seat as the head of our States on March 4, 1841, 
and just one month from that time he died. 

John Ty-ler, who had been his Vice-Pres-i-dent, 
was then sworn in and took the chair. 

John Tyler, 

The tenth Pres-i-dent of the U-nit-ed States, was 
the son of the Gov-ern-or of Vir-gin-i-a, in which 
State he was born in 1790. 



98 Lives of the Presidents. 

When through with school he took up law and was 
soon sent to Con-gress, where he staid, for five years, 
and was then made the head of his own State. 

He was made Vice-Pres-i-dent with Har-ri-son 
and then Pres-i-dent. He had not been long in his 
seat ere a strife broke out in Rhode Isl-and. 

It seems by their old laws no one who did not 
hold land could vote, and as this was not thought 
fair to all, they wished to have it changed. There 
was a split as to how this should be done. One 
side was led by a man named King, and called 
them-selves the ''Law and Or-der Par-ty." The 
rest had Thom-as Dorr as their head, and both 
sides made up their minds to have their own way 
and form laws of their own. 

King's men tried to put down those led by Dorr, 
but they would not have it, and sought to seize the 
fort where the State arms were held. The troops 
were sent out to put a stop to this, and Dorr had to 
flee for his life from the State. In a few months 
he was caught and put in jail for life, but he was 
soon freed and let go once more. 

Ty-ler had scarce got through and put down this 
strife ere more broke out in the State of Mis-sou-ri. 
Smith, the Mor-mon, with man-y more of his own 
kind, took up a vast tract of land in this State as 
their home, and those who lived there sought to 





L.of 



lOO 



Lives of the Presidents. 



drive them out. Our troops were sent out and at 
last the Mor-mons were sent out of the State and 
made their home in Il-H-nois, but it was not long 
ere they were mixed up in the same kind of strife 




TAB-ER-NA-CLE IN SALT LAKE CIT-Y. 25O FEET LONG, 150 WIDE, AND 80 HIGH. 

as they had gone through, and at last they had to 
flee out in the wilds of the far west. They are now 
at Salt Lake Cit-y. 

The war broke out this year in Tex-as. For a 
long time none of our folks had built their homes 



JoJi7i Tyler. 



lOI 



there since it was owned by Mex-i-co, but this year 
hosts flocked there from our States, and made up 
their minds to stay, if they had to fight for it. 

The Tex-ans fought with the Mex-i-cans at Gon- 
za-les in this year, and though they were but half 
as large a force as the foe, they soon put them to 
rout. In 1836 a Tex-an fort known by the name of 
the A-la-mo was won by the Mex-i-cans, and all in 
its walls were killed in cold blood. 
The great fight at Ja-cin-to the 
next month, in which the Tex- 
ans won, gave them the State 
in their own hands. They now 
asked that their State should be 
made one of the U-nion, and in 
1845 this took place. 

Ty-ler tried hard to be placed 
in the chair once more for a term 
of four years, but his hopes were 
vain, as Polk was to be the next to hold the reins 
of State, so he soon went home to find rest from his 
work. 

The last year of Ty-ler's rule a great thing was 
found out by Sam-u-el F. B. Morse. By the means of 
a wire stretched from pole to pole through the land 
he could send words for miles and miles in a flash, 
quite as fast as it would take one to think of it. 




SAM-U-EL 



MORSE. 



I02 



Lives of the Presidents. 



And soon from town to town we could hear what 
went on there, in less than no time. On these wires 
for the first time was flashed the news that James 
Polk was to take the chair of state when Ty-ler 
left it. Ty-ler died in Rich-mond, Vir-gin-i-a, in 

Jan-u-a-ry, 1862. 

Dan-iel Web-ster died 
on the same day as Clay. 
He was at the head of the 
State in the time of Ty-ler 
and Har-ri-son. He was 
a great man. He had not 
much chance to go to 
school when he was a boy, 
for he was poor. He did 
I not go but for a few weeks, 
and showed none of the 
great gifts of speech for 
which he grew famed. He 
was so shy that he could 
not speak a piece in the 
school. He learned law, and when he made a 
speech, all wished to hear, for they knew he would 
bring much wealth of thought, as well as what he 
had gained in books, to bear on the theme. When 
his death was known there was grief in the land 
for a great man gone. 




2;^ 



CHAPTER X. 



JAMES KNOX POLK. 

1845 to 1849. 

James Knox Polk was born in North Car-o-li-na 
in 1795, where his first years were spent on a large 
farm. He went to school a good deal when a boy, 
and when he left, took up law. He was soon sent 
to Con-gress, where he served for more than ten 
years, and was then placed at the head of his State, 
where he was born. In 1845 he was made Pres-i- 
dent, and it was not long from 
the time that he took his seat 
ere a war broke out in our 
land with Mex-i-co. The cause 
of it was this : 

Our folks in Tex-as laid 
claim to a large tract of land 
which those in Mex-i-co said 
was theirs. Gen-e-ral Tay-lor 
was sent with a force of troops 
at once to see that the rig^hts 
of our State were kept up. On his way he met the 




GEN-E-RAL WIN-FIELD SCOTT. 



I04 



Lives of the Presidents. 




foe drawn 
up in the 
road to 
stop him, 
but he had 
the good 
luck to rout 
them with 
the loss of 
but nine 
men on his 
side. Tay- 
lor next 
laid siege 
to Mon-te- 
rey, their 
great cit-y, 
and at last, 
when he 
had fought 
hard and 
long, got 
the town in 
his hands. 
The same 
year Scott 
and his 




Q/S_^e^ OCL^ .J^ 



io6 



Lives of the Presidents. 



men drew siege lines round the town of Vera Cruz 
and sent bombs in it for four days, and at last it gave 
up the fight. But it was long ere peace was made 




GOLD WASH-ERS IN CAL-I-FOR-NI-A. 



with this land, and much blood had been spilled on 
her soil. 

In 1848 came news to our States in the east that 
there were gold mines in Cal-i-for-ni-a. It was 
said that a man had found sand that was full of 



Jaincs Knox Polk. 



107 



gold dust, and scarce was the news known ere 
a great rush was made from all parts of the land 
to that State, and in fact from the whole world. 
A great deal of gold was found at the first, and 
this State soon grew to be a great one. 




SAN FRAN-CIS-CO IN 1849. 



Three States came in while Polk ruled as the 
head of our land, and two of them were free States, 
or States where slaves could not be kept. 

At last a band of men by the name of free soil 
men took a stand that all slaves should be kept out 
of the new lands which the U-nit-ed States might 
gain from time to time. 

Polk died in Nash-ville in 1849, when still a man 
in the prime of life. 



CHAPTER XI 

TAYLOR AND FILLMORE. 

1849 to 1853. 

Zach-a-ry Tay-lor, our eighth Pres-i-dent, was 
born in Or-ange coun-ty, Vir-gin-i-a, where his 
folks owned a large farm. Here he was brought up 
and went to school. When of age he took up arms 
for his land in the war in the place of a friend. He 
was so brave in all the fights in which he took part, 
that it was not long ere he rose from the ranks to 
a high place. In the In-dian war he won much 
praise for his work, and was soon placed in charge. 

When the war broke out with Mex-i-co, it was he 
who won the o^reat fiorhts at Pa-lo Al-to and Mon- 
te-rey, and he soon rose to be thought one of the 
great men — in fact, the first of his land. In each 
place that he went he gained fame, and all gave him 
praise. 

When he came home the streets through which 
he went were one blaze of light, and flags waved, 
while cheers rent the air as he came by on his 
brave horse. 



no Lives of the Presidents. 

He was the man of the hour, and it was not 
strange that the will of the land should soon place 
him in the chair of state to rule us all. 

He just came in at a time when the strife as to 
the slave trade was at its height, but he did not 
hold his place but four months, as he took sick in 
the midst of his work and died Ju-ly 9, 1850. 

Millard Fillmore, 

The Vice-Pres-i-dent, at once was sworn in and 
took up the reins of rule where they broke. He 
made as one of his aids the great Dan-iel Web-ster, 
whose charge it was to look to the rights and laws 
of the States. 

Fill-more, it might be well to say, was born in 
Ca-yu-ga coun-ty. New York, Jan-u-a-ry 7, 1800. 
That part of the State where he had his home was 
in the midst of a dense tract of woods, where, one 
might say, for miles no man had trod. There was 
no house near his home, but one four miles off, so 
you may know he did not have much of a chance to 
go to school. 

When he was quite a boy in years he was bound 
out to work to a man in a small trade. Here he 
staid for five years, and at last got free from his toil 
as a bound boy and set out for Buf-fa-lo on foot. 





^^<ici^>oC) '^^'i^^^l^^^^^r.c^^TTx) 



112 



Lives of the Presidents, 



where in the course of time he taught school to pay 
his way while he took up law. He soon gave up 
his school when he thought he could get on with 
what he knew of law, and made his way to a high 
place as one of the State bar. When Tay-lor died, 
as we have said, he was the Pres-i-dent. 




HA-VAN-A HAR-BOR (CU-BA). 



It was not long from this time that there was a 
band of rough men from our land who made up their 
minds they would try and get Cu-ba in their hands, 
but it did not take long for them to be put down, 
and some of them were shot by troops of Spain. 

Fill-more died in Buf-fa-lo March 8, 1874. 



CHAPTER XII. 

FRANKLIN PIERCE. 

1853 to 1857. 

The next man to take the chair was Pierce, who 
had more votes than Gen-e-ral Scott. He was born 
at Hills-bor-ough, New Hamp-shire, in 1804, the 
son of the then head man of the State. Not much 
is known of his youth, but as he was not a poor boy 
it is safe to say that he had a good chance to go to 
school. He was for years at Bow-doin Col-lege, 
Maine, till he left it to take up law, and was soon 
made one of the bar. He made his old home the 
scene of his work, and soon grew to be thought a 
man of brains who some day would lead in the laws 
of his land. And so it came to pass. While yet a 
young man in years he was sent to high posts, and 
at last won the best gift in the hands of his land — 
the chief of all. 

When Pierce came in the strife was still in force 
as to the slave trade. It did but make things worse 
when those who held slaves wished to bring them 
north of the line where it was said they should not 



114 



Lives of the Presidents. 



be held by law. Where they wished to bring them 
was a large tract of land that was in time made up 
in two States, Kan-sas and Ne-bras-ka. The South 
said all they would ask was that all should have a 
vote to see if they had a wish to keep slaves or not 

in these new States. 
So Con-gress made a 
law which gave them 
the right to be slave 
or free States, as they 
might wish. It was 
thought when this bill 
came to pass that we 
should have peace, but 
such was not the case. 
There were fights and 
broils on the day the 
votes were cast, and 
much blood was 
spilled. One might 
say a small war took 
place in this State, with those who would have it 
free on the one side, and those who would hold 
slaves. Towns were burned, and for a time there 
was great fear this fight would spread through the 
land. At last Kan-sas came in as a free State, 
and we had peace. 




A HOME-STEAD IN KAN-SAS. 



ii6 



Lives of the Presidents. 




In the time of Pierce a 
great tract of land was 
bought from Mex-i-co, 
and was known from that 
day to this as New Mex- 
i-co. In the same year 
that this took place, the 
cRYs-TAL PAL-ACE, NEW YORK ciT-Y, WHERE trade with J a-pau was 

THE FIRST "world's FAIR "WAS HELD. j^^^^J^ frCC tO OUr shipS, 

and a great show known as the ''World's Fair" was 
held in New York in a great hall built of glass, 
where all kinds of work 
done in the land were 
shown. 

Pierce died in Con- 
cord, Mass-a-chu-setts,on 
Oc-to-ber 8, 1867, and 
left a name that all might 
look back on with love. 

In the fall of 1856 
James Bu-chan-an was 
the choice of the Dem-o- 
crats, and John C. Fre- 
mont was the chief of 
the new par-ty called Re- 
pub-li-cans. Bu-chan-an 
gained by a large vote. 





0^^^^'/ 




"^^^^yTte^^ ay^ 




CHAPTER XIII. 

JAMES BUCHANAN. 

1857 to 1861. 

Bu-CHAN-AN was bom in Frank-lin Coun-ty, Penn- 
syl-va-ni-a, in 1791. He was the son of one who 
tilled the soil, and his first years were spent, of 
course, on the farm. When through school he took 
up law, but did not try but one case while he was 
at the bar. It was a poor case and he did not get 
a thing by it, but he won the suit and put to rout 
those who sought to cheat his friend out of the land 
which had been left to her. 

When quite a young man he was the choice of 
his State as one to make her laws, and six years 
from that time he was sent to Wash-ing-ton, where 
he held his seat for ten years. 

He was sent by Pres-i-dent Jack-son to Rus-sia 
in two years to look out for our rights in that land, 
and when he came back went in our Sen-ate House. 

In 1857 he was made Pres-i-dent, and the first 
year he took his place U-tah would not bear the 
yoke of our laws, and sought to cast it off. At last 



James Buchanan, 



119 



troops were sent out to force them to make peace, 
and they at last made terms and laid down their 
arms. 

The next year of Bu-chan-an's rule was famed 
for one great feat that took place, and this was when 
Cy-rus W. Field, of New York, laid the first wire 
through the sea so that words could be sent from 
our land to those in the old world. 




SUB-MA-RINE CA-BLE BE-TWEEN EN-GLAND AND FRANCE. 





AT-LAN-TIC TEL-E-GRAPH CA-BLE,l866. 

Talk still ran high from the North to the South 
on the cause of the slave. The great case known 
as the '' Dred Scott " case was tried by the Chief 
Jus-tice, Ta-ney, and he said that those who held 
slaves had a right to take them through with them 



I20 



Lives of the Presidents. 



all the free States just when they chose. Few of them 
were held in the North and it was on the large 
farms of the South where they were most to be found, 
so you may know the South wished with all their 
hearts that the slave trade might still go on, while the 
North vowed that they would have none of it. 

In the fall of the year 1859 "^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ had long 
burned with a slow flame in the hearts of North 

and South burst forth, and John 
Brown of Kan-sas, the friend of 
the slaves, was the first to fan the 
blaze that was soon to sweep our 
land and drench its green fields 
with blood and fill its hills with 
graves. This Brown was a man 
who left his farm to serve the 
blacks. He was poor. He had 
worked in the fields for his bread, 
but his name will go down to 
those born in the years to come as one who did not 
fear to lay down his life for what he thought right. 
He was the first to strike a blow for the cause of 
the slaves. With a score of men he held the fort 
at Har-per's Fer-ry for two days. He seized on all 
the arms he found there, as it was his scheme to 
arm the blacks with them and lead them to fight 
the South and set their friends free. 




JOHN BROWN. 



James Buchanan. 



121 



Troops were sent out to seize this man who set 
at naught the laws of the land. With the small 
band of brave men with him he fought as did the 
old Greeks in the years long gone by, with no fear 
in his breast, though he knew too well his cause 
was lost and that he must die. 

His two sons were shot down by his side as he 
stood at the head of his 
band, but he did not pause; 
still he kept a firm hand 
on his gun and poured 
shot in the ranks of the 
troops. At length he 
fell with six wounds in 
the thick of the fight, but 
he did not die from them. 
He was hung, and on his 
way to the place where 
he was to give up his life his last act was to kiss a 
babe in a slave's arms. 

But the torch that John Brown bore was not put 
out. It had fired the South and North with the 
fires of war. In i860 South Car-o-li-na led the 
way and a bill was passed which said that from that 
time they would not bear the laws of the U-nion 
but would make their own laws. And it was not 
long ere six more States who liked the slave trade 




FLAG OF SOUTH CAR-O-LI-NA. 



12: 



Lives of the Presidents. 





JEF-FER-SON DA-VIS. 



STE-PHEN A. DOUG-LASS. 



chose the same course that cut them off from the 
North. These States formed at last what was 

known as the 
'' Con-fed-e-ra- 
cy," and made 
Jef-fer-son Da- 
vis their Pres-I- 
dent. When 
Bu-chan-anleft 
the chair at the 
end of his term 
he spent the 
last days of his 
life on a place near Lan-cas-ter, Penn-syl-va-ni-a, 
where he died in June, 1868. He wrote a book 

on his life 
which is 
still in 
print. 

When 
the time 
came to 
\ choose a 
/ new Pres- 
sv^v/' i-dent the 

Q^Tifln C01VI JOHN BELL. 

JOHN C. ERECK-EN-RIDGE. oOUtnSaiQ 

if Lin-coln was made the choice of the North and 





James Bttchanan. 



123 



the West, they would leave the Un-ion. At the 
same time there was a great split a-mong the Dem- 
o-crats as to what the whole coun-try should do. 
The Dem-o-crats, as a par-ty, had won all their 
fights, and would in this case if they had kept 
sol-id. They had three tick-ets in the field. Ste- 
phen A. Doug-lass of Il-li-nois, as the choice of one 
class ; Breck-en-ridge (the Vice-Pres-i-dent with 
Bu-chan-an) an-oth-er, and John Bell of Ten-nes- 
see and Ed-ward Ev-er-ett of Mass-a-chu-setts still 
an-oth-er. This of course made them ver-y weak, 
and Lin-coln gained the prize. 




THE SEN-ATE CHAM-BER. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

1861 to 1865. 

In a poor log house in Har-din Coun-ty, Ken- 
tuck-y, A-bra-ham Lin-coln, or " Abe," as he was 
known through hfe, was born in 1807. His home 

^-^.z..^::^^, ■^- was not as good 

^ ^ as the barns of 

to-day, and 
stood in the 
midst of a dense 
wood where at 
night when he 
lay on his bed 
he could hear 
the growl of the 
wolves on the 
snow. Few of 

lin-coln's ear-ly home in gen-try-ville, in-di-an a. the folks who 

lived near could read or write, and there were no 
schools at that time where a boy might learn. One 
man who knew more than the rest used to take a 





A-BRA-HAM LlN-COLN 



126 Lives of the Presidents, 

few boys and girls to teach them for a small sum at 
his own house, and "Abe," as we shall call him, 
when not much more than six years of age, was one 
of this class. From the first '*Abe" took to his 
books. School life pleased him the more and 
more he had of it, and he showed that he could 
learn with ease his tasks, hard as they might be. 
He could not get much help at home, as there were 
few there who read and wrote, and there were but 
three old books in the house, a Church book, the 
word of God, and one which taught how to spell, 
and yet it was not long ere the boy knew them all 
by heart. 

In the still hours of the night, by a dim light, he 
would work on at his books while the rest slept. So 
young in life were the first good seeds sown that in 
the years to come were to reap for him fame and a 
name. 

When *' Abe" had been scarce a year at school he 
could read and write as well as most boys can at 
twelve, and bade fair in a short time to know more 
than the man who taught him. 

But at this time his folks thought they would sell 
out and move to the Far West, where land was 
cheap, and take a new farm. This was done, and 
"Abe" found that in his new home there was still 
less chance for him to go to school, as they were in 



Abrahai7i Lincobi. 127 

the wilds where no man had set his foot. '' Abe " 
helpedto chop down the trees that were to make the 
house, and though but eight years of age, proved 
that he was ot some use on a farm. 

As there was much game in the woods it was not 
long ere he learned how to use a gun, and would 
often bring home at night wild fowl for them, so 
they knew there was no fear that they would starve 
in their new home. 

When they came to build their new log house, 
** Abe " was of great help, for there was no one they 
could call on for aid. The first house was six miles 
off. Soon more folks built near them, and a small 
town grew up in that wild place. So ''Abe " had 
a chance to go to school once more. He was glad, 
for he had not found books to read in that wild spot, 
much as he wished for them. 

Books were so scarce in those days that ''Abe" 
would go miles to get one of a friend if he thought 
it would be lent. The first he read in his new home 
was the Life of Wash-ing-ton, which made its mark 
on his mind, and had much to do with the brave 
way he went through life and sought to do right at 
all times. 

When a young man Lin-coln was hired to take 
charge of a flat-boat filled with skins and furs to 
trade with the South, "Abe" was glad to go, for he 



128 Lives of the Presidents. 

had a strong wish to see the world of which he had 
dreamed and thought so much. There was much 
to be seen on this trip down the stream, but when 
it rained they had a hard time to keep dry, and 
had to sleep at times in the wet. 

Lin-coln was much pleased with all the new 
scenes that met his eye, and he was not glad when 
they got to the end of it and had sold their goods 
at a fair price. He was well paid by the one who 
hired him for the way he had made the trip, and 
praised for it. From that on Lin-coln was at times 
a raft-man, or he split rails, and when a man in 
years took charge of a mill and store in the town 
of New Sa-lem. 

At that time of which we write it was thought 
a great thing for a young man to have full charge 
of such a place, and he was looked on as a bright 
youth who soon was the pride of the town. 

'' Abe's " name was soon known in the place for 
truth, as he would not lie or strive to cheat when 
he made a trade. He had a bright way with him 
that took with men, and he was full of smart tales 
that made folks laugh when he told them by the 
fire at night. When there was no one in the store 
to buy, Lin-coln read in some good book, for they 
were not so hard for him to get now. 

When the Black Hawk War broke out he at 



Abraham Lmcoln. 129 

once met the call for men and formed a small force 
of armed men in his own town of the young men 
of the place. He was placed in charge of these 
troops and marched at once to the seat of war, where 
he fought it out to the end and then walked home 
on foot. 

Lin-coln was at this time a strong, well-formed 
young man, tall and not with-out some grace of his 
own. It is said he could lift a large keg by his 
hands and drink from the bung-hole, which shows 
how great was his strength. 

One day some young friends of his asked him it 
he would run for a place. He laughed at the 
thought of such a thing, but when he found they 
meant it he said at last that he would run. He 
lost by a few votes of the count, which showed him 
at least that he had a host of friends in the place, 
as there were three smart men who ran with him 
for the same place. Two years from that time 
he ran once more and won by a great deal of 
votes, but he would not give beer or drinks for 
a vote, that was thought to be the way to win. 

Lin-coln now took up law, and was soon made 
one of the bar. His first case was that of a poor 
boy who lay in jail it was said for a crime he had 
done and for which there was small hope that he 
would get off. Lin-coln took charge of his case. 



130 Lives of the Presidents. 

He did not make a cent by it, but he set the boy 
free and sent him back to his home. 

In 1846 he took his seat in Con-gress, and for 
years he took the part of the slaves, and signed 
all bills that came up which would help their 
cause. Lin-coln's name was now known through 
the length and breadth of the land, and his views 
were sought at all times when a strong case came 
up to be judged. 

He sprang at once in-to the front rank of the great 
men of his day, and soon took the lead of them on 
points of law. All loved him for the good traits he 
had and for his fear of God which he had shown 
from his youth up. 

Lin-coln was a sad man, though he was famed 
for his wit and the fun of the tales he would tell. 
Yet all who saw his grave eyes and fixed, sad 
mouth knew that in his heart he was not gay. He 
had at times what his friends knew as a black mood. 
It would seem as though a thought of his doom 
was with him all the while. He thought that he 
was meant for some great or sad end. He would 
talk of it in a calm way and had felt sure of it all 
his life. To him it was his fate, and he could not 
be free from it. He felt that he was to fall from a 
high place. When he was made Pres-i-dent he said 
that he would not last through the term. When 



Abraham Lincoln 131 

his friends wished to guard him from his foes, he 
would take no pains to do it. '' If they wish to kill 
me," he said, ''there is naught to keep them back." 
He did not wish a guard, but said : '' Why stop up 
a gap when the fence is down all round?" But 
though he spent most of his life in sad thoughts, he 
had a good side that made him like a laugh, and he 
was glad to chase his gloom. But the books he 
most read were of the sad kind, and what told 
of death and the grave, or the grief of men's days 
on earth, had the most charm for him. When he 
told a tale with wit in it his sad face would change, 
and the mirth would spread till all the hard lines 
went out of it. The fun of it would dance in his 
eyes long ere he would reach the point of it. He 
would go a long way to find a man who could tell 
him a fresh thing in the way of fun, and hunt him 
up and swap jokes with him. They hand down 
good things he told in all the towns where he was 
wont to be, and they are heard to this day. It is 
said that his jokes were used to keep off his sad 
moods, and his mirth seemed to be put on. 

He was kind but cold, not a man to hate with a 
deep, fierce hate, nor to love as a fond friend. He 
would use men as tools and then think of them no 
more. He did not care much for great men, for he 
felt that he was as ereat as the best of them, and 



1.^2 



Lives of the Presidents, 



could do all that man could do. It was the aim of 
his heart to be right and to do what was just to all 
men. He had not a great love for gold, and would 
not take a cent by wrong means. 

It was a day of gloom when Lin-coln left Spring- 
field to go to Wash-ing-ton, and a cold rain fell. 




HOUSE AT CHI-CA-GO WHERE LIN-COLN WAS NAMED FOR PRES-I-DENT. 

When he got on the train he went to the rear of the 
car and stood for some time in deep thought. His 
eye gazed with a sad glance at the crowd who were 
there to see him off, as though he would read their 
hearts. There was a tear in his eye as he saw them 
it might be for the last time. It seemed as though 
he could not speak, but at last he said a few words. 



Abraham Lmcoln. 133 

He told them that none could know what he felt at 
that hour. He said : '' Here have I lived from my 
youth till now I am an old man. Here the ties 
most dear to me have been formed. Here my 
babes were born and here one of them lies m a 
grave. To you, dear friends, I owe all I have — all 
I am. All the strange past seems to crowd now 
on my mind. This day I leave you. I go to take 
up a task more hard than that which fell on Wash- 
ing-ton. If the great God who helped him shall 
not aid me, I shall fail. Let us pray that this God 
may not leave me now. To Him I leave you all. 
Ask His help for me with all faith. With these 
few words I must leave you, for how long I know 
not. Friends, one and all, I must now bid you a 
fond good-by." 

All were touched by these words, and more than 
one was in tears. Four years from that time he was 
borne back to them dead, and all the way there the 
towns were hung with black, and each house strove 
to hanof out the bads^e of orrief for one who was 
mourned by all. 

There was talk of plots at that time to kill Lin- 
coln on his way to Wash-ing-ton, but he went 
through safe. He was a man who would have been 
glad to have kept the peace of both North and 
South, but the South would not have it so. They 



134 Lives of the Presidents. 

thought a State had the right to go out if it chose 
to do so. This was '' States' Rights," a creed that 
had long been held at the South, and there were 
six States who put it to vote and said they would 
go out of the U-nion. South Car-o-li-na was the 
one to lead the way. They said they would make 
a new band of States where it would be right to 
hold slaves, and they took Fort Sum-ter, in Charles- 
ton Har-bor. 

The sound of the first gun at Fort Sum-ter was 
a shock to the whole land. Most of those at the 
North who had not felt the slave trade to be wrong 
now took sides with those who had been its foes 
from the first. All the States in the South took 
one side, but the slaves were of course for those who 
wished to make '..hem free. 

Lin-coln said in his speech at New York, when 
he was on his way to take his seat in the White 
House : '' When the time comes for me to speak I 
shall then take the ground that I think is right — 
right for the North, for the South, for the East and 
for the West — for all our land." 

And so he did. The war was a great grief to 
him. He said : " We did not think it would last 
so long. Both North and South read the same 
Word of God, and both pray to Him to aid them in 
a war on those bound to them by near ties. We 



Abraham Lincoln. 135 

hope, we pray that this scourge of war may soon 
pass from us." 

The States that went out of the U-nion sent men 
to meet and form a new band, and they chose Jef- 
fer-son Da-vis as Pres-i-dent. At this time some 
thought it would be best to let the States at the 
South go out, as all had a dread of war. 

Lin-coln made a wise speech on the day he was 
made Pres-i-dent. He said that he would do all that 
lay in him to keep the land one, but that he could 
not let the U-nion be torn in two by a part of it. 
He said the land could not stand but as one land, 
that they had to live face to face — the North with 
the South — and they must be friends. But he 
would not keep the South from their rights. Kind 
as his speech was, and wise as most men felt it to 
be, there were some who looked on it as a threat of 
war. 

The first fire at Sum-ter was like the tap of a 
drum, and all the South rushed to arms ; at the 
North the news was like a live coal on the hearts 
of all. A rage swept in a day o'er all, such as had 
not been seen since the land was known. 

The slaves through all the South took it in their 
heads that the Yan-kees had come to set them free. 
They would help them in all ways. They served them 
as guides, and were on hand to dig, work or fight to 



136 Lives of the Presidents. 

get their rights. Lin-coln said that his first great 
aim was to save the land and not to fight for the 
slaves. He wrote: ''If I could save the U-nion, 
though I did not free a slave. I would do it. If I 
must let them all go free to save it I would do it. 
Still in my own heart it is my wish that all men in 
all lands should be free." 

And at last it seemed best to him to send out a 
bill which should say that all held as slaves should 
from that date be free, and that they might serve in 
the ranks if they chose, or in ships or at forts — or 
where there was a place — with all the rights of 
white men. Ere long a great mass of the black 
men took their place with U-nion troops and proved 
good and brave. 

There were at that time men at the North who 
were full of fear lest the blacks should rise when 
they were free and do harm to those who had held 
them in bonds, but they did not. 

Lin-coln heard that there were plots on foot to 
put an end to his life. He said with a smile : " If 
all this is true, I don't see what they would gain 
if they killed me. All would go on the same. 
When I first used to hear of these threats of death 
I felt bad ; but now they come so fast I am used to 
them." 

There was a rhyme at this time which turned out 



Abraham Lincoln. - 137 

to be true. The boys sang : '' Now the war was 
be-gun in '6i, and in '62 we'll put it through ; in '63 
the slaves will be free, in '64 the war will be o'er." 
At this time it looked as if the war had been put 
through. 

The first band of troops that went through Balt- 
i-more were fired on by the mob. They fired back, 
and nine men fell. This made a great stir in the 
North. 

Lin-coln did not find things in the North in a 
good state for war, though men came in the ranks 
on all sides when they heard the call, for arms were 
scarce, so they had to be bought or made in as short 
a time as they could. Clothes, too, had to be got 
for the troops, and food and carts to draw them all, 
and drags for the sick. It had all to be done in a 
short time, so that there should be no waste or want. 
Lin-coln then made a law that no ships should go 
in or out of the ports of the South. 

The first great fight was at Bull Run, a stream 
in Vir-gin-i-a. Here the two great foes met. From 
the first things went wrong with the North, and at 
last they were put to flight and ran for their lives. 
The loss on their side was great. It was all in vain 
that the heads of the troops sought to bring them 
back to make a charge once more on the foe. They 
were full of fear and fled. On all the roads and 



138 Lives of the Presidents. 

paths that led to the place were crowds of men in 
full flight. 

Then came the great fight at Get-tys-burg, which 
seemed the point on which the fate of the land 
would turn. The North won, but it was at a great 
price. The South lost still more. 

It is said that Lin-coln planned the great move 
that freed the Mis-sis-sip-pi. He thought of it all 
the time, and his room was full of maps and plans. 
He would mark the points where the troops 
marched, and knew just where they were at all 
times. He soon saw that Grant was the man to be 
at the head of the troops, and he put him there. 
He showed that this was a wise move, for Vicks- 
burg was soon in the hands of the U-nion troops. 
And at last the whole length of the Mis-sis-sip-pi, 
from lands of snow to lands of bloom, was free, and 
the old flag waved o'er it. 

Lin-coln showed at all times a kind heart, and 
those who went to beg the life of kith or kin knew 
that they could move him with their tears. One 
tells of him that in the first part of the war there 
was a young man who was to be shot, as he had 
slept at his post. His friends sought the Pres-i-dent 
and begged for his life. Lin-coln wrote that he 
should be set free. '' I could not go in-to the next 
world with the blood of that poor young man on 



Abraham Lincoht. 139 

my skirts," he said. '' It is not strange that a boy 
raised on a farm, used to be in his bed at dark, 
should sleep on his watch, and I can not have him 
shot for such an act." It is strange to know that 
the corpse of this youth was found with the slain on 
the field of Fred-e-ricks-burg. He wore on his 
heart a card with the face of his loved Pres-i-dent 
on it, and 'neath it, in his hand, these words : 
''God bless Pres-i-dent Lin-coln!" Once when 
one went to Lin-coln to urge that a crowd of 
men who had sought to leave the troops should 
be put to death, he said: ''For God's sake, don't 
ask me to make more wives weep in the U-nit-ed 
States !" 

In all the war it was Lin-coln's way to think and 
act for his own self and not leave it to some one 
else. He would hear what men said, but it did not 
have great weight with him. He had a talk with 
wise men on each case, but at the same time his 
own mind took the lead. 

In the South things were in a sad state, but 
still they bore up with brave hearts. The crops 
failed and they could not get goods save at a high 
price. 

At this time Sher-man's great march to the sea 
took place, and Sa-van-nah fell in his hands with all 
its guns and stores. The South was at its last gasp. 



140 Lives of the Presidents, 

One by one the ports of the South had been lost to 
them. At Five Forks the troops of the North, 
with Sher-i-dan, had to fall back, but they made a 
charge and swept all in their way. Then Fort 
Greee fell in the hands of the North. 

The troops of the South had no food, and were in 
a sad state. There was no hope for them, and at 
last Lee sent word that he would come to terms. 
Grant met him and wrote out his terms. Lee took 
them. He did not have to give up his sword, and 
Grant let each man keep his horse, for he said they 
would need them all to plow the land when the 
spring came. Then the two chiefs shook hands, 
and Lee went his way. 

The brave Pres-i-dent Lin-coln was shot as he 
sat in his box at the play, by a man named Wilkes 
Booth. This man seemed to think that he would 
thus make up to the South for the woes of the war 
— as though Lin-coln had been the cause of all. 
He had led a wild life. He laid this plan and had 
thought of it for some time. He had by some means 
got in the box and made the door fast. When he 
had shot Lin-coln he sprang from the box to the 
stage, but caught his foot and fell and broke his leg. 
He had a horse at the door and got off, but was at 
last found in a barn, where he fought hard for his 
life. They set the barn on fire to drive him out, 



Abraham Lincohi. 



141 



but he stood his ground and fought to the last, when 
he fell shot. 

Booth had shot Lin-coln in the back of the head. 
The ball went in back of the ear and lodged back of 
the left eye. He did not move much, but his head 
fell and his eyes closed. As the sound of the shot 
rang through the house it was at first thought that 
it was part of the play ; but a friend in the box saw 
at once what had been done and caught at Booth, 
who at last got free. 

Lin-coln could not speak. Those who stood by 
his bed saw there was no hope. All the land was 
full of gloom at the sad news. Men wept as they 
heard it. Each house wore a badge of grief as 
they bore his corpse 
back to his old home. 
The whole land 
seemed swathed and 
hung with black. To 
this day all hold his 
name dear. He had 
found his way to the 
hearts of all as no man 
had done. All knew 
that a brave, true man 
had passed from this 

earrn. lin-coln mon-u-ment, spring-field, il-li-nois 




142 



Lives of the Presidents. 




WIL-LIAM H. SEW-ARD. 



Wil-liam H. Sew-ard was born 

in Flor-i-da, Or-ange Coun-ty, 

New York, May 10, 1801. He 

was the son of one whose work it 

was to cure the sick. When he 

was not much more than a boy in 

years he taught school in Geor-gi-a. 

He took up law and soon rose to 

a high place at the bar, and led 

that side known as the Whigs. 

He was twice made the head of the State of New 

York, which he left at the end of his terms to take 

up law once more. 

A Sen-a-tor in 1849, '^^ ^'^'^ made head of the 
state by Lin-coln and John-son. He did much 
good work for Lin-coln and helped make him 
Pres-i-dent. 

At the time Lin-coln was shot it was at first 
thought Sew-aVd would lose his life too, but he got 
off with but a few wounds made by one of Booth's 
friends. This man had forced his w^ay into Sew-ard's 
house as he lay ill. Sew-ard was a man of mark 
and wrote a good deal for the press. He died at 
Au-burn, New York, Oc-to-ber 10, 1872. 



Abraham Lincoln. 



143 




SAL-MON P. CHASE. 



Sal-mon P. Chase was born 
in Cor-nish, New Hamp-shire, 
in 1808. At the age of twelve 
he was left to make his own way 
in the world and went to live 
with one of his kin who taught 
the word of God and stood high 
in the church. While a young 
man he taught school and took 
up law when he had a chance. 
At the bar he soon rose to fame, 
and he tried his best to crush out the slave trade. 
It was through him that the F'ree Soil men made 
a move which placed Van Bu-ren at the head of 
the land. 

When Lin-coln was made Pres-i-dent, Chase was 
placed in charge of the funds of the land. He was 
made Chief Judge in 1864, and tried Pres-i-dent 
John-son ; but he thought he had done no wrong. 
He wrote some for the press of the day and had 
some skill in verse. 

He died in New York, May 7, 1873. 



CHAPTER XV. 

ANDREW JOHNSON. 

1865 to 1869. 

The next day from that on which Lin-coln met 
his sad fate, An-drew John-son took the chair as 
the head of our land. John-son was born in Ra-leigh, 
North Car-o-H-na, De-cem-ber 27, 1808. His folks 
were too poor to send him to school, so when he was 
but ten years of age he was sent to work for a man 
whose trade it was to make clothes. A friend of 
this man at times came into the shop and would 
read to the men at their work. This made An-drew 
wish that he might have books to read of his own, 
and he at once set to work to learn how to read, to 
write and to spell. This was his task when his toil 
was done for the day and he had gone to his poor 
bare room in the roof where he slept. But it was 
not till he was a man in years that he could read 
and write with ease. Then he was wed to a bright 
girl who taught him all she knew, and he showed 
an apt mind to learn. 

It was not long from this time ere he gave some 



146 



Lives of the Preside^its. 



thought to the laws of his land and the way it was 
ruled, and he was soon placed at the head of his 
town. In a year or two from this time he was sent 
to a high post from his State, and was then sent to 
Wash-ing-ton to help make the laws for ten years. 
In 1853 he was made the head of the State of Ten- 
nes-see. 

When the great war broke 
out with the South and the 
North, he took sides with the 
North. When Lin-coln was 
shot he took the chair, which 
he held four years. He died 
near E-liz-a-beth-town, Ten- 
nes-see, in 1875. 

Gen-er-al George B. Mc- 
Clel-lan, who had been one 
of the first chiefs of the U-nion ar-my, ran a-gainst 
Lin-coln on the Dem-o-crat-ic side in 1864, but did 
not win. 




GEORGE B. MC-CLEL-LAN. 



CHAPTER XVL 






ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT. 

1869 to 1877. 

Hi-RAM U-LYS-SES Grant, as he was named at 

birth was born at Point Pleas-ant, O-hi-o A-pnl 

27 1822 We are told that when he was but two 

years of age some one took him in his^rms through 

the town, and "" *' — ^ - - 

that a young 

man who 

owned a gun 

wished to 

shoot it off 

and see what 

the child 

thouQ^ht of 

the noise. 00 -^^^^ ^-- .-{?^^^^^^^5^- '-■r^^^^--'^ 
the babe's orani ^ birth-place 

hand was laid on the lock of the gun and pressed 
there till it went off with a loud noise. 1 he child 
did not cry out with fear at the sound, as they 
thouo-ht he would, and did not wink or dodge at the 





148 Lives of the Presidents. 

noise, though he had not seen such a thing as a gun 
in his hfe. So it is now told to show that at a 
young age he first gave signs that one day he would 
lead in war. 

As a boy he was more fond of a horse than a dog, 
and when but eight years of age, while left at home 
for the day, he hitched up their three-year-old colt 
to a sled, and hauled sticks and brush from the 
woods near the house. When he was ten years old 
Mr. Grant, who saw that the boy knew how to 
drive, gave him a team in his charge which he 
drove for two score miles to the town and brought 
back a load. He soon learned to break a horse 
and to teach it to pace and trot. It was said by all 
those who lived near by that no horse was too wild 
for that Grant boy to ride. For when he made up 
his mind to ride a horse, he rode. 

As a youth he was known to have a strong hand 
and firm nerves. One day he drove some folks 
o'er a ford when the tide ran high, and the waves 
rolled in on them. The boy was just as cool as 
if he stood on firm ground, though all the rest of 
those with him were filled with fear. '' Don't speak, 
I will take you through safe," he said in a firm 
voice, and he did. At school he took the lead in 
all sports, for the boys saw at once that his was a 
mind born to rule. 



€ 




^-^^ 



^ 



i^o Lives of the Presidents. 

One strange thing in his hfe here was that he 
could not learn what '* can't" meant, and we are 
quite sure that to this day he has not learned it. 
At school he was one of the *ew whom no one 
caught with an oath on his lips, for he thought that 
to swear was as bad as to take things that were not 
his own. While he did not go in for fights with 
the rest of the boys, or stir up strife in their midst, 
when they drove him to the wall he could take his 
part as well as the rest, and they soon learned to 
keep out of the way of his fists. He gave the 
strength of his arm to help the weak, and would let 
no one hurt a lame or sick boy at school if he could 
help it. While he did not lead his class at school, 
he learned his tasks well. 

When he was at an age to make a start in life he 
did not choose a trade, but wished to learn more 
than was taught at the school where he had gone as 
a boy. His folks could not pay to send him to a 
first rate high school, so they made up their minds 
to get him in at West Point if they could, where he 
might learn what he could free of charge. To this 
well known school he went in 1839, ^^^' though he 
did not go out of his way to make friends there, was 
soon the best liked young man there. They all 
called him '' Un-cle Sam," from the U. S. in the 
first part of his name. 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 151 

The way he came to be called U-lys-ses Simp- 
son was when his name was sent in to West Point. 
The man who sent it in got the name mixed with 
that of some one else, but it clung to Grant through 
life, and he is known by it to this day. 

While at West Point Grant made his way slow 
and sure up the rounds of school life. It was his 
great joy to read works on the arts of war and how 
men were trained for it. And it was not long ere 
he got the thought in his mind that he should like 
to bear arms some day for his own land. 

When he left school Grant joined at once the list 
of our troops as lieu-ten-ant, though we were at that 
time at peace with all the world, though there was 
some strife with the In-dians in our States in the 
far West. It was young Grant's work while out 
there to give aid to those who lived in the 
woods and wild hills, and help them keep their 
homes from the fire brands of the red skins, and at 
times to drive them back in their haunts when they 
came out to rob and steal in the cold part of the 
year. 

The next year Grant was sent into Tex-as to 
drive out the Mex-i-cans, and the first real fight that 
he was in was that which was fought at Pa-lo Al-to 
in 1846. We are told that he was brave and kept 
to the front of his men in the thick of the fight. 



152 Lives of the Presidents. 

From those first in rank he was much praised for 
the way he fought through all the war in Mex-i-co, 
and it was not long ere he was raised to a high 
place in the troops. At the fight of Cha-pul-te-pec, 
the most fierce that took place in the whole war, he 
was once more raised, and this time to the head of 
a small band of our troops. When the war at last 
came to an end. Grant went home North once more, 
to New York. From there he went to the West 
to keep the In-dians back in their raids. Here he 
still held eood the name he had earned as a brave 
man who knew not fear. 

When the gold craze broke out in Cal-i-for-ni-a, 
«^he thirst for gold brought vile, rough men there 
from all parts of the world who knew no love of 
God or man and lived wild lives. Young Grant 
und a force of men were sent out West to keep them 
within the bounds of our laws, if it could be done. 
For the good work he did while here Grant was 
raised to the rank of cap-tain. 

In 1854 he I^ft ^he troops and went to live near 
St. Louis, and for five years was hard at work at a 
trade. At last he started to tan hides and skins in 
the town of Ga-le-na, Il-li-nois, and did well from 
the first. The firm of Grant and Son were soon 
known as the best in the trade. 

When the war at last broke out and Sum-ter had 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 15-^ 

been fired on, Grant at once left his work where he 
had done so well and took up arms. He formed 
the troops in his own State to march to the front 
and did a great deal to get men to join our ranks 
and to drill them for the great fights that were to 
come. He was soon made a col-o-nel of these 
troops and at once trained them for the fight. He 
was made a gen-er-al and placed in charge of a post 
at Cai-ro, on the O-hi-o river. His first work was 
to block all the streams and roads for miles, so that 
the South could not get food and guns through the 
lines. 

While in camp here Grant is said to have lived a 
plain life and not at all like a man of his rank might 
have done. Those who were his aids wore more 
gold stripes and gew-gaws than he. While their 
caps were gay with gold lace he went through camp 
with an old black felt slouch hat on, with not so 
much as a gilt cord on it. He smoked all the time. 

In the month of Oc-to-ber, 1861, Grant sent out 
men to stop the force from the South that marched 
on us. At Fred-e-rick-town the troops met, and 
Grant's men drove the foe back. They then came 
back to their old posts. 

The Con-fed-e-rates at this time held two forts 
which Grant would have liked to wt in-to his hands. 
They were Forts Hen-ry and Don-el-son. As soon 



^54 



Lives of the Presidents. 



as Grant had a good chance he set out with a small 
force of men and gun-boats to take them. He had 
to go at night with great care down the stream to 
where the forts lay, for fear they should be blown 
up by things the foe had laid in their way. 

It was a bright day when Grant 
and his men came in front of Fort 
Hen-ry, but the roads were bad, 
as it had rained much in the night. 
The fort had but few troops left 
in it, as they had been sent to a 
fort a few miles off to give aid, but 
those that were there fought well 
and did their best to drive Grant 
and his gun-boats off, but it was 
of no use. There was no chance 
that the fort could be held, so 
when they had fought hard inch by inch they at last 
gave it up. 

A week from that day Grant and his men left to 
charge on Fort Don-el-son, cheered by the thought 
that at least one of the forts they had set out to 
take was theirs. 

The fort on which they marched stood on a high 
bluff, with a stream on one side of it. Grant knew 
it was a strong well-built fort, and that he must get 
it if he hoped to break up the war ; so he made up 




TOR-PE-DO. 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 155 

his mind to have his gun-boats fire on it from the 
stream while he led his men to the walls by land. 

The first time he tried this he failed. Then came 
a great snow storm and rain that put them back in 
their work for a long time. 

All their food was gone and there was no chance 
to get more for some time. They were in bad 
straits. Those who had wounds had naught to eat 
or drink, and their cries were sad to hear as they 
prayed for help or death. Not a few died from 
cold and lack of food. 

At last when all hope was gone, our fleet came 
in sight on the 14th of Feb-ru-a-ry. Food was soon 
brought to the men and the ships, in charge of 
Com-mo-dore Foote, turned to the fort and with no 
loss of time fired on it with all the strength of their 
guns. 

But the fort held its own. Sheets of flame and 
hail of fire burst from the loop holes in its walls, so 
that at last our gun-boats had to draw back much 
hurt by the guns of the foe. 

The gun-boats were in such a bad way that they 
had to be sent off to get fixed up. In the mean 
time Grant held his place near the fort and cut off all 
chance of help from them. He knew it would not 
be long ere they would give up, for their food and 
drink could not last a long time. 



I c;6 Lives of the Presidents. 

Gen-e-ral Floyd, who led the men in the fort, 
thought he would try to cut his way out with his 
men through Grant's ranks. But he did wrong to 
count on this bold stroke, as it failed ; but he and 
Gen-e-ral Pil-low made out to slip off one dark 
nieht to Nash-ville. The next morn Grant made 
up his mind that he would waste no more time on a 
siege, but would storm the walls and drive them out. 
A flag of truce came just at this time, and he was 
asked on what terms he would let the chief of the 
fort give it up. Grant said at once that they must 
give up all, or he would at once move on their 
works. So they gave up the fort and soon Grant's 
troops marched in to its smoke stained walls, while 
the stars and stripes waved in the breeze on the top 
of its flag staff. The gun-boats sent out shots to 
cheer our men as they marched to the sound of the 
drum and fife, while the crowds of men and folks 
on the bank sent out shout on shout of joy that the 
fight was won. 

But though Grant won the fight it was at a high 
price. The field was red with blood, and from 
right to left the dead lay thick, and all the tents 
were full of maimed men. It was a sad sight. 

The fall of this fort broke the line of the forts of 
the South, and there was much fear through their 
ranks. At Nash-ville the news was brought to the 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 1 57 

town while the folks were in church, and all grew 
pale as they heard it. It was true that the troops 
of the North were on their way South. In their 
fright and craze to get off they gave large sums for 
a horse and cart to take them from the scene. They 
burned the grand bridge in the town that had been 
their pride, and some fine stores fell a prey to the 
flames. In a short time stars and stripes waved 
o'er the city. 

While Grant was in this part of the State, he 
gave his men to know that they were in no case to 
rob and steal from those who had to live there. 
That they must have the folks think they came as 
friends and not as thieves. This rule they were 
forced to go by, and it was soon found to be a good 
and just one. 

At the fight at Shi-loh there was a great loss on both 
sides, but at last the troops of the South were put to 
rout. Though shot and shell fell to left and right of 
Grant he seemed to bear a charmed life, and did not 
get but one wound, and that by a sword on his foot. 

There was great joy in the North when the news 
of the fight reached them, and Grant was much 
praised for what he had done to win it. Grant was 
soon made next to the head of all the troops in the 
field, and the same year he laid siege to Vicks-burg 
and Cor-inth. 



158 



Lives of thi Presidents. 



At Vicks-burg the siege was long and fierce. A 
fleet of ships from the North kept up a fire on the 
town while Grant and a force of men marched 
on it by land. His men had to live the mean 
while on what they could pick up, as there was 




BOATS AT VICKS-BURG. 



no way they could get food from the North to 
them. 

It was not long ere Grant and his men held all 
the land and streams near the town so that those in 
its walls could not get food and were in sore straits. 
Mule meat was sold in the streets, and folks were 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 159 

glad to buy it at a high price. When the shot and 
shell poured in on them they sought caves in the 
hill-sides where they might hide from it. To add 
to this sad time large parts of the town were blown 
up by the troops of the North, so that it was not 
safe there at all in the streets. In spite of all 
the town was held for near two months, though it 
was strange how they could do it at all. 

Grant at last grew tired be-cause they would not 
give in, and made up his mind for a great charge. 
Gen-e-ral Pem-ber-ton, who was in charge of the 
troops in the town, tried to make terms with Grant, 
but he would not and said he must go on with the 
work. The next day Pem-ber-ton had to yield, and 
the troops of the North were soon in the town. 
They did all they could to help the poor folks who 
had fought so hard for their homes — gave them 
food and clothes, and did all that could be done to 
bring them back to health and life once more. 
That day saw the stars and stripes wave from the 
Vicks-burg court-house. 

Grant took up his stand in Vicks-burg, but he 
still kept hard at work. Day and night his mind 
and thoughts were bent on what plans he might use 
to bring the war to an end, for he was sick of all 
the blood that had been spilled. The thought was 
sad to him that his men must take the lives of those 



i6o Lives of the Presidents. 

who had been brought up 'neath the same skies as 
they, and in the same land. He would have peace 
at all price, but he knew that naught but war could 
bring it to pass. 

The news of Vicks-burg's fall was heard with 
great joy in the North, for it now looked as if their 
cause would win and that the South could not hold 
out for much time if things went on as they had 
done. They were proud, too, of Grant for the work 
he had done, for they knew he was the right man 
in the right place. 

It would not be out of place to say a few words 
here of life in camp with Grant. It has been said 
that he was hard on his men and made them toil 
when they were not fit to bear arms, but this is not 
so. He was firm but he was just, and saw to it 
that those in his charge had their rights. He made 
rules and he saw that his men lived by them. If 
a man made up his mind to do right he had naught 
to fear from Grant. It was those who were bad 
and who stole and drank that he was rough with. 
In his camp things moved like clock-work, as they 
should. There was no noise or broils in the tents, 
and to this care which he took to have things right 
no doubt he owed much of his good luck in war. 
Those who lived near his camp had naught to fear 
from his men, as he kept them in bounds and would 



Ulysses Si77tpso7i Grant. i6l 

not let them raid the farms or burn and steal as is oft 
done at such a time. To the poor slaves who had 
been set free he was just as kind as to the whites, 
and fed and cared for them in his camp when they 
had no place to lay their heads at night. 

In Au-gust, 1863, Grant went to Mem-phis and 
got there late at night. The next day a grand feast 
was made for him, and speech and toast went round 
in praise of him, their guest, till it must have done 
his brave heart good. 

When Grant came back to Vicks-burg he had his 
troops march out that he might view them. This 
is said to have been his dress on that day, which 
shows that he was by no means vain, though he was 
great. He wore a plain suit, with no sword, sash 
or belt. His coat loose in front, a low-crown soft 
felt hat on his head, and no mark on his dress of 
his rank, and a pair of kid gloves on his hands. 
That was what he wore. 

It was on this day that he viewed the troops that 
his horse fell on him and he was much hurt — so 
much that for a time it was feared that he could not 
go in to the field of war for some time. It made 
all in the North sad when this was known, but in a 
month's time, to the joy of his friends, Grant was 
once more on his horse at the head of his troops. 

In 1863 a fight took place at Chat-ta-noo-ga. 



1 62 Lives of the Presidents. 

Grant for his work got a gold badge from Con-gress. 
He was placed in charge of all our troops in the 
field in March of the next year. In the fight in 
the Wil-der-ness he showed what a brave man could 
do. Here he met Lee, It was in the midst of a 
dense woods, through which he marched on the foe, 
where the trees grew so thick that his troops could 
not ride, so the fight went on in a hand to hand way. 
The shots and sparks from the guns soon set the 
woods on fire, which made it hard to breathe. 

In this hand to hand strife men were at times so 
close to each that they could not fire their guns, but 
had to use them as clubs. Han-cock had thrown 
up earth-works for his men to rest back of from the 
heat of the wood fire, but the wind set the brush in 
a flame by the sparks in the air, and soon drove the 
poor men out. This the Con-fed-e-rates thought 
was a good chance for them to seize on the works, 
so they made a rush and set their flag on the wall 
of the brush works ; but they did not hold their 
place long. A charge was made and they had 
to flee. 

In this fight the U-nion troops met with great 
loss, and hosts of their men got bad wounds and 
dropped out of the fight. Lee soon found out 
that he must fall back if he did not want to leave 
all his men on the field, so he took up his ground 



Ulysses Simpson Grant 163 

at Spott-syl-va-ni-a Court House, where Grant found 
him and fought him for three days, though it could 
not be said that Grant or Lee won. It was a fierce 
fight, and no side could lay a just claim that they 
had won it. 

Grant's next work was to march to Pe-ters-burg 
with his troops and seize the place if he could, though 
this had been tried more than once. When he got 
in sight of the works of the foe at this place he 
put it in a state of siege. As long as the town had 
food they could hold out, and they did so for ten 
months. 

In this time Grant made two great moves to take 
the town. First he dug a huge mine from a point 
in his lines to the fort of the foe. It was four feet 
wide, and full of tons of stuff that could be lit by a 
fuse and blow things sky high. When this was all 
fixed so it would go off the fuse one day was lit. 
An hour went by and not a sound was heard from it. 
At last two brave men crept in to the mine and 
found that the fuse was in two parts. They made 
it right so that it would fire the charge when lit 
and got out in haste, as the whole place blew up 
with a noise like the roar of a great sea. 

The fort was blown to bits, and in its place was 
a large chasm where lay heaps of dead and piles of 
guns. It was a sad scene. Then the U-nion 



164 Lives of the Presidents. 

troops charged on the fort, or what was left of It, 
while their guns sent shots in to the walls, but they 
were too late, for the foe were up in arms, and as 
the troops of the North filled the chasm where had 
late been the fort, they were mowed down like 
grass. And so the scheme of the mine did not 
turn out so well as they thought at first it might, 
and Grant lost a great host of men in the fight, so 
that he had to draw off his troops. 

But while he did not keep up the siege he still 
kept hard on the heels of his foe, and the fight 
at a place known as Deep Bot-tom took place, where 
he won and a great host of men fell in his hands. 
At Five Forks the same year he won once more, 
and at last made up his mind that he would try 
for Pe-ters-burg once more. 

At four in the morn of A-pril third he charged 
on the forts at this place, and in a hard fight took 
two of them. He then had his men tear up all the 
rail-roads near the place so that those in the town 
could not get food. 

Gen-e-ral Lee, who had charge of the troops of 
the South in Rich-mond and Pe-ters-burg, saw at 
once that he and his men must leave, and on the 
3d of A-pril the stars and stripes waved from the 
walls, and soon the boys in blue were seen in the 
streets of the towns that had been looked on as 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 



165 




HOUSE WHERE GRANT AND LEE MET. 



the strong-holds of the South. It was a great day 

for the North when this news was known. 
It was not lone^ from ...-,§•.-. -r.^^*.,. 

this time ere Grant drove 

Lee to the wall, and all 

the great hosts of troops 

led by that great chief of 

the South fell in to his 

hands. 

This was one of the 

first sio^ns that the South 

could not hold its own 

long, and soon in all the States of the South they 

gave up the fight, grant's trip to the North when 

peace had at last been fixed was a grand one. At 

each place on the route there were crowds who 

wished to see the man of the hour 
who had done so much for them. 
He was made Pres-i-dent in 
March, 1869, by a large vote, and 
he held his seat for two terms. 
Ho-ra-ti-o Sey-mour, who was Gov- 
ern-or of New York, was set up by 
the Dem-o-crats, but lost. In his 
time all the States of the South 

came back to the U-nion. Great tracts of land 

were made ours, and the debt of the land was made 




HO-RA-TI-O SEY-MOUR. 



1 66 



Lives of the P7'-eside7its. 



much less. A law was made in his time which held 
that all men should have a right to cast their vote, 
in this land, and no race or hue should be kept 
out. 

In Grant's last term a grand show was held at 

Phil-a-del-phi-a to keep the day on which the States 

were made free. All the lands in the world sent 

... .^v7— ^' ^ ^ things they had 

.-. , ^"^ wiL '2s ^"^ - made to be 

shown there, 
and all the 
trades in the 
world had place 
in the great 
walls. When 
Grant's two 
terms were up 
he took a tour round the world, and in all lands he 
was made as much of as though he had been a 
king. His last home was in New York. He fell 
sick in 1884, and af-ter eight months oi pain he 
died at Mount Mc-Greg-or, near Sar-a-to-ga, on 
Ju-ly 23, 1885, and was bur-ied Au-gust 8, 1885, 
at Riv-er-side Park (on the Hud-son), New York 
Cit-y. 




CEN-TEN-NI-AL EX-HI-BI-TION BUIL-DING. 



Ulysses Simpson Grant. 



167 




HOR-ACE GREE-LY. 



Hor-ace Gree-ly ran on the 
side that was not for Grant, 
and which was known at the 
time as the Lib-e-rals. It was 
made up of those men who 
wished for a change in the 
laws of the land. Gree-ly was 
a man of much note who stood 
high in the minds of all in the 
land, and it was thought his 
name would sweep the States as by storm. 

Gree-ly came to New York in 1841 a poor boy, 
with small funds to start in life. His first work 
was to print a news sheet that was known by the 
name of the *' Log Cab-in." The main view of this 
sheet was to aid Gen-e-ral Har-ri-son to the place of 
Pres-i-dent. When this had been done Gree-ly 
was the one to start the New York Tri-bune, which 
grew to be the voice of the Re-pub-li-cans and is to 
this day. This sheet was one of the first to cry 
down the slave trade, and did much good work to 
place Lin-coln in the chair. 

Gree-ly was sent to Con-gress in 1848, and it was 
he who went bail for Jef-fer-son Da-vis, which 
brought him the hate of some men on his own side. 

He lost in the race for the Pres-i-den-tial chair, 
as he took Dem-o-crat-ic votes, which his own side 



Tb8 



Lives of the Presidents. 



thought was wrong, and it was this fact more than 
all else that lost him the day. 

The Tri-bune lost caste for a while at this time, 
and Gree-ley's mind soon grew weak when he knew 
his cause was dead. In a short time his health 
broke down and he was put in a mad-house, where 
in a short time he died. 




TXl-BUNE BUILD-ING, NEW YORK CIT-Y. 



CHAPTER XVIL 

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. 

1877 to 1881. 

Ra-THER-FORD B. Hayes was born in Del-a-ware, 
O-hi-o, in 1822. He came of a brave race of men 
who had fought and bled in the wars of our land, 
and he was first taught to read and write at the 
State school near his home. He worked hard to 
learn his tasks and was let in to the high school 
class, where he soon stood at the head. He next 
took up law, and soon rose to a high grade as one 
of the bar. In the war of North and South he did 
much for the cause of the North, and was looked 
on as a brave man and one well placed to lead 
troops in a fight. While still in the field his State 
chose him to send to Congress, and then he was put 
at the head of it for three terms. 

When he was at last made Pres-i-dent it was 
thought a fraud in the count by some, and most of 
the Dem-o-crats held that their man, Til-den, who 
had been Gov-ern-or of New York State, had won 
the day. Hayes found that the South was in a sad 



170 Lives of the Presidents, 

state, and he did much to bring peace to that land. 
He thought that if hard coin was broug^ht in use 
once more in the place of bank bills, it would be a 
great help to all 

In 1877 came what is known as the great ''Rail- 
road Strike!' The heads of the great lines from 
the sea to the West said they could not pay as 
much as they had done, so all the men in their hire 
left their posts and came in mobs to stop the trains 
on their way. They thought they were not paid 
well for all the work they did, so they rose in arms 
to force those who hired them to come to terms. 

Troops were sent out to put a stop to this, and 
nine of the men who struck were killed, and not a 
few got bad gun-wounds. But the strike spread, 
and at one time it was feared the whole land might 
get in to their hands. For two days Pitts-burgh 
was held, to the great fear of those who lived there. 
Cars were burned on the tracks and much grain 
spoiled that was stored in them. The troops at 
length, with hard fights, got the whip-hand of the 
mob, but not till much had been burned and spoiled. 

In the spring of this year a war broke out with 
an In-dian tribe known as the Nez Per-ces, who 
robbed and burned some towns and slew the folks 
who lived there. Gen-e-ral How-ard was sent out 
to put a stop to this, but it was hard work at first 




'{^^- tf^^fe^ Vi^-*' - 



^C/ 




172 



Lives of the Presidents. 



to catch the red-skins, for when our troops came 
near they fled at once to the wild hills where they 
were at horne. At last he got to their strong-hold 
when he had chased them for a long time. A fierce 
fight took place and they were soon put to rout. 
One of their chiefs got off with a few of his braves, 
but all the rest were slain or brought, bound, from 
the field of war. 

Sam-u-el J. Til-den, who had 
been a very good head of the 
great State of New York, 
was the choice of the Dem-o- 
crats a-gainst Hayes. There 
was a great cry of fraud as to the 
way the count was made, and 
there were folks who thought a 
war might come of it. Til-den 
had the most votes in the whole 
coun-try, but Hayes was placed in the chair and all 
went well. Hayes is still liv-ing in Mas-sil-lon, 
O-hi-o. 




SAM-U-EL J. TIL-DEN. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD. 

March 4, 1881, to September 19, 1881. 

James A-bram Gar-field, whose sad fate made 
all the known world mourn his loss, was born in 
Or-ange, O-hi-o, in 1831. His eyes first saw the 
light in a poor log hut, the cracks of which were 
filled up with mud to keep out the cold and rain, 
and the floor of which was made of hard clay. Here 
he spent his youth. He had books, and when he 
was through his hard day's work he would climb up 
to a hole 'neath the roof of the hut, which was 
known as the loft, and sleep the sleep of the just on 
a pile of poor straw. He was the son of A-bram 
Gar-field, a poor but good man who died when 
James was but a few years old. The place where 
they lived lay in the midst of a deep wood, and the 
trees at times would take fire from the sparks 
thrown out by steam-cars on the rail-roads some 
miles off. These fires would burn up much grain 
and stock on the farm which his folks, who were 
quite poor, could not well bear to lose. Gar-field 



174 Lives of the Presidents. 

made up his mind that the next time a fire came 
that way he would try and see if he could not put 
it out ere it could waste the farm and lands that 
lay ripe with corn and grain. He had not long to 
wait. One night he saw a bright light shine through 
the chinks in the roof and sheets of flame near the 
house. He rushed out of the house and threw up 
banks of earth in the way of the fire so that it could 
not scorch the fields of young corn that lay on each 
hand. Long hours he worked on and at last saved 
his farm, but he died from the work, as he took a 
bad cold. 

So James was left to make his own way in the 
world, and worked on the farm when but a small 
boy. He milked the cows, sawed wood, and 
did all the chores there was need of on a farm. In 
the wilds where he was brought up there was not 
much chance for him to go to school, as the roads 
were all new and were much like bogs in the time 
of rain and snow. The school-house lay miles off 
and hard to reach, for the woods were filled with 
wolves and fierce beasts that were much feared by 
those who lived there. But in spite of all this he 
went to school when he got a chance and showed 
from the first that he was quick and apt to learn. 
At home, in the cold nights of the year when no 
one dared go out, by the bright fire as his light he 



176 Lives of the Presidents, 

read much in the few books that were at hand or 
that some one would lend him. He did not waste 
the hours of his life in play, as most boys of his age 
would do, and when but eight years of age he could 
read and spell and knew much of the Good Book, 
as well as the tales and lore of his own land and 
those in far off climes. And all this time that he 
stored his mind with great thoughts of great men 
he did not cease to work, as a good son should, and 
hard work it was. 

He rose with the sun, we might say, and plowed 
or sowed from the time he rose from his bed till 
eve. He did not like to say *' I can't" when asked 
to do a thing, but said at all times, '' I can do 
that!" He had been taught, and he knew the 
words were true, that *' Half the fight was to think 
you could do a thing." He had a firm trust and 
faith in God. '*God helps folks to be good, and if 
we do not have His help we can not hope to be 
good in aught." This his moth-er had told him. 

Yet James was a big boy ere he had heard a 
church bell toll, and when they did go to church it 
was apt to be eight or ten miles off through the 
rough roads in the woods. The day of rest was oft 
passed by his folks in their home, much as they 
loved to hear the Word of God. 

So were the first years of James Gar-field's life 



James Abra7n Garfield. 177 

passed, years in which he picked up a great deal from 
what he read and saw. Time rolled on and he felt that 
he ought to go out into the great world and see it. 
What he had read in his books did but add to this 
wish, so he took a job to chop wood on the shores 
of Lake E-rie. The sight of the ships on the lake 
made him wish that he might go to sea, for he had 
his own queer views, such as most boys share, that 
a life on the wave must be a gay one. He thought 
he would at least try a trip on the lake to see if he 
liked it. So he set out with his pick on his back 
to the dock where the ships lay moored. He found 
a man in charge on board of one, but he was not at 
all like those he had read of in his books. He was 
a coarse man who swore at him and bade him get 
off the ship or ** he'd throw him off." So, sick at 
heart, the poor boy turned and left and took a place 
on a coal barge. With what he made here James 
went back to his old home in the wild woods, glad 
to see once more the faces he loved. 

From that time James Gar-field went on and up 
to the goal of his hopes. He worked hard that he 
might go to school, and rose to be the head of his 
class in each branch. He was made one of the 
O-hi-o Sen-ate and of Con-gress, and when the war 
of North and South broke out he joined the troops 
of the North, and fought as a brave man should. 



ir8 



Lives of the Presidents. 



He soon took charge of the troops in parts of the 
land and won much fame in the great fights of the 
war. 

In 1880 he was named by the Re-pub-H-cans for 
Pres-i-dent, and was placed in the chair as the 
choice of the land. The Dem-o-crats wished to 

have Gen-e-ral Han-cock, a 
man who had fought well 
through the war, but he failed 
to win. Four months from 
the time Gar-field took this 
place he w^as shot, on Ju-ly 2, 
1 88 1, by Charles Gui-teau, 
while on his way to take a 
train for the North. 

They bore him back to the 
White House, where he lay for 
a long time on a bed of pain, 
while all hearts were sad for him, and all prayed to 
God that his life would be spared. 

When he got worse they took him to Long Branch, 
in the hope that the sea air would do him good. 
In a house on the beach he lay ill for a space of 
three weeks, but he did not get well, and on Sep- 
tem-ber 19, 1 88 1 , he drew his last breath. When this 
was known the old world and the new wept as one 
land o'er his new-made grave. The hearts of kings 




GEN-E-RAL W. S. HAN-COCK. 



Jaynes Abratn Garfield, 



179 



and queens of far-off lands went out in grief to those 
he left to mourn round his own fire-side. And in 
our own land the grief was most felt. For weeks 
the loss of this great and good man was mourned by 
all. Gui-teau, who had done the deed, was hung 
for his crime. 

Gar-field's name stands bright as the stars in the 
sky of night on the scroll of fame, writ in fire 
that burns on through all the years. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

CHESTER ALLAN ARTHUR. 

1880 to 1884. 

Ches-ter a. Ar-thur was born in Fair-field, 
Frank-lin Coun-ty, Ver-mont, in 1830. He went 
to the State schools near his home for some years, 
for it was the wish of his folks that he should learn 
all he could. 

Ar-thur was but a lad when he went to U-nion 
Col-lege to learn. He did so well while there that 
in 1849 he had gone through each course they had 
in the school. 

The whole time he was at this place he paid his 
way by his own work. He taught school, and in 
this way got quite a small sum, which he laid up 
in the bank for his time of need. When he was 
through school he still taught, and at one time was 
at the head of quite a large school in Ver-mont. As 
he had by this time some means laid by he set out 
for New York, for he wished to take up law. He 
staid here till he was let in to the bar, and then 
made a start of his own with an old friend and 



1 82 Lives of the Presidents. 

school-mate. They thought they would try the 
West first, but soon made up their minds to come 
back to New York, where they soon won a name in 
the State. 

In 1856 Ches-ter Ar-thur won a suit which gave 
the blacks the right to ride in horse-cars with the 
whites. A slave girl had been put out of a street- 
car in New York, and Ar-thur sued the firm who 
owned the line and won his case with a small sum 
for the girl. For some years from this time Gen- 
e-ral Ar-thur held high place in the State of New 
York, and did such work that he was liked by all. 
He was twice made the chief in charge of the port 
of New York. 

In 1880 he was made Vice-Pres-i-dent of our 
land. 

When Pres-i-dent Gar-field died at Long Branch 
he was at once sent for to come there, and at two on 
the morn of Sep-tem-ber 30 he was sworn in as 
our Pres-i-dent, at his home in New York. 

In 1883 the great Star Route case carpe up. The 
cause of it was said that a ring of men had made 
use of that part of our mails which they had in 
their charge to cheat the Gov-ern-ment. On the 
14th of June, 1884, the case came to a close and 
they were let off. 

In 1884 two great fairs to show the arts and 



Chester Alla7i Arthur. 



183 



trades of the States were held in Lou-ls-ville and 

New Or-leans, which drew folks from all parts of 

the land. 

Gen-e-ral Ar-thur went back to his home and his 

law of-fice in New York Cit-y at the end of his 

term. 

1 1 was thought that Gen-e-ral 
Ar-thur would have been put 
upa-gain, but James G. Blaine, 
of Maine, a smart and well 
read man who had held high 
place in the laws of the land 
for more than a score of years, 
was the choice of the Re-pub- 
li-cans. There was a split in 
the par-ty and he lost the day, 
and the Dem-o-crats got their 
man, Gro-ver Cleve-land, in. 




JAMES G. BLAINE. 



CHAPTER XX. 

GROVER CLEVELAND, 
1885-1889. 

Ste-phen Gro-ver Cleve-land was the first 
Dem-o-crat who had the chair for more than a 
score of years. 

He was born in the town of Cald-well, New 
Jer-sey, on March 18, 1837, and was the fifth child 
of a good man whose task it was to preach the 
Word of God in the church of the place. He 
came of a good stock, and one that might fill him 
with pride of birth, not for their wealth, but for 
their gift of mind. He was of a race that had 
shown a strong will and brave hearts. 

When he was but three years old they moved to 
Fay-ette-ville, New York, and this was where he 
spent nine years of his life and went to school most 
of the time. 

They were poor, but the boys and girls had all 
the chance they could wish to go to school, so that 
they might be fit to hold posts of trust when they 
grew up and were of an age to earn their bread. 





^ 



^ir:^.^^ 



1 86 Lives of the Presidents. 

When Par-son Cleve-land grew sick, Gro-ver at 
once made up his mind that he would hke to earn 
his own bread and help his folks. His first place 
was in a store in this town, where he was paid a 
small sum for his work, and we are told that he was 
true to his trusts and gained the good will of all in 
the place. This he held for two years, when he 
went back to his books. But a great grief was in 
store for Gro-ver that he did not think would come 
so soon. Par-son Cleve-land, worn out with his 
work, died. This death made a change in the 
whole course of Gro-ver's life. 

He had to go back to work and earn bread for 
those who were in need at home. He found a 
place in the "Home for the Blind," in New York, 
where he staid for two years. At the end of that 
time he made up his mind that he would learn law, 
so he set out with a friend to the west part of the 
State, where they hoped they could get a chance. 

'Twas a strange quest on which these two youths 
thus set out. They had no friends to find them a 
place, and their funds were small to keep them while 
on the search. 

He stopped in Buf-fa-lo with one of his kin, who 
found him at last a place such as he wished. It was 
said of him that at this time that when he had work 
to do he did it, and did it well. 



Grover Cleveland. 187 

He was at work in this place for eight years, and 
the first year he was not paid at all for what he did. 

When the war broke out Gro-ver had a wish to 
go and bear arms for the help of his land, but he 
thought it was not right when those at home were 
in need of help and had no one else to look to for it. 
But there were two that went forth from that home 
to do or die for the right. 

Cleve-land soon was known as a man well versed 
in the law, and he took charge of more than one 
great case that brought him in much fame. For the 
most part of the time he was on the side that won. 
He was soon called to take more than one high 
place to put in force the laws of his State. He is 
said to have worked at all times for the cause of a 
poor man with more zeal than for the rich, if he 
thought he was in the right. His fame soon spread 
through the State, and he was placed at the head of 
the town and then at the head of the State. He was 
at all times hard at work and would oft spend the 
whole night with his books when he had to read up 
for a case. At no time in his life did he seek for 
place. It was his own true worth that won them 
for him. He made his way up step by step and 
soon won the good will of all. As the chief man 
in the laws of Buf-fa-lo he showed his true worth in 
the way he put down those who had lived by bribes 



1 88 ' Lives of the Presidents. 

in high places, and he did much to cleanse the town 
of such men as stood in the way of its best growth. 

When the time came to choose a head for the 
great State of New York, in 1882, Cleve-land was 
named to stand for the place. Charles Fol-ger ran 
with him, but lost by great odds. In his place as 
the head of the State Cleve-land showed that he 
was worthy the trust that men had placed in him, 
and he still went on with his good work. 

The term of Cleve-land's stay in the White House 
was not marked with great changes — or much of 
note. What was called the Chi-nese Bill was passed 
to keep out the Chi-nese from this land. Some felt 
that this was not a just bill, as the same rule was not 
made for those who came from the rest of che world. 
Men thought it was not fair to pick out Chi-na and 
say that no man who came from there could land on 
our shores. But those who wished the bill to pass 
said that the Chi-nese did not want to be A-mer-i-cans, 
and would not be, if they stayed here for years. 
They came here to make what they could, but they 
meant to go back to their homes at last, and take 
with them all they had made. They would not take 
the right to vote if they could get it. So the bill was 
passed to keep them out, but the Chi-nese who were 
here at the time had leave to stay. 

The Mills Bill to make the tax less on all goods 



Grover Cleveland. 189 

brought in-to the U-ni-ted States made more stir than 
aught else in Cleve-land's term. The cry of ''free 
trade" rose, and the class-es who work, the men of 
trade, took fright. They knew the price of all work 
was low in Eu-rope, and they thought if a tax were not 
fixed on the things made there, they would sell just 
as cheap here or else A-mer-i-can things would have 
no sale at all. Then they said wa-ges here would soon 
be as low as in Eu-rope, and the poor man would have 
less to live on. When Cleve-land was put up for a 
new term, the cry of "no free trade" rang through the 
land, and the fear of that change did much to make 
him lose votes. But all he wished to do was to make 
the tax less. This tax on goods and all things brought 
in our ports is called a "tar-iff." 

Cleve-land was the first Pres-i-dent who was wed 
In the White House. He took for his wife Miss 
Fran-ces Fol-som. 

James G. Blaine, of Maine, had a host of friends, 
who would have been glad to have made him the next 
Pres-i-dent. He was in Eu-rope when the choice 
was made, and it is said he would have served if he 
had been the choice of all. But there were some who 
feared to put him up, as he had not proved the best 
man to win the last time. So they chose Ben-ja-min 
Har-ri-son, of In-di-an-a, and he gained the place. 
He was made our Pres-i-dent on March 4, 1889. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

BENJAMIN HARRISON. 

1889 to 1893. 

Ben-ja-min Har-ri-son, our Pres-i-dent at this time, 
was born at North Bend, O-hi-o, and is the son 
of John Scott Har-ri-son and the grand-son of Will- 
iam Hen-ry Har-ri-son, the ninth Pres-i-dent of the 
U-ni-ted States. He learned law, and was wed when 
quite young to Miss La-vin-ia Scott. When the war 
broke out he helped raise men to form what was called 
the "70th In-di-an-a," and he was made Col-o-nel of 
it. For two years he served well in the fights with the 
foe. For his brave work at Re-sa-ca on May 14, 
1864, he was made a Brig-a-dier-Gen-er-al. He 
stayed on till the close of the war. He was liked by 
his men, for he was kind to them and they called him 
" Lit-tle Ben." He went back to his home and his work 
at law when the war came to an end. His State chose 
him to a place in the Sen-ate. While there he showed 
in his speech-es that he was not for free trade. 

And now ten times ten years had passed since 
George Wash-ing-ton had been called to take his 
place as first Pres-i-dent of our land. It was thought 
fit to keep the day — to mark the great changes that 



192 Lives of the Presidents. 

had been made In this time — and to think of the good 
and great man who had helped the land in its sore 
need, who had led in the war that made us free, and 
ruled in such a wise way when peace came at last. 
So what was called the " Wash-ing-ton Cen-ten-ni-al" 
was held in New York Cit-y on April 29 and 30, 1889. 
Stores and hous-es were decked with flags, and arch-es 
were built of wood and wreathed and hung with red, 
white, and blue. The well-known face of Wash- 
ing-ton looked out on all sides from wreaths of green. 
The streets were filled by a dense mass, and rank on 
rank of troops filed by for hours. The drums beat, 
the bands played their best, and cheers rang out on 
all sides as that long train of men marched on. The 
Pres-i-dent and all his men were met by a barge and 
brought to the slip at Wall Street with all the ships of 
war drawn up each side. As they went up the steps 
of the Cit-y Hall, young school-girls in white strewed 
flow-ers on their way, as the girls had done in the time 
of Wash-ing-ton. In the church-es men met to give 
thanks, and then the Pres-i-dent and his friends went 
to the same place where Wash-ing-ton took his oath 
to serve as Pres-i-dent. Speech-es were made there. 
Har-ri-son spoke for a short time in a strong voice, 
and he was greet-ed with cheers. The troops from 
the South, with the flags of their States, were all there, 
side by side with Un-ion men, so that it seemed that 



Benjamin Harrison. 



193 



they thought of the war no more. So grand a sight as 
these long hnes of troops had not been seen in the 
U-ni-ted States since the men came back at the close 
of the war and marched through Wash-ing-ton. At 
night fire-works were sent off at points through the 
town. The Ger-man, the French, the Swiss, marched 
side by side, some in quaint garb such as they had 
worn in their homes in the old lands. The Ger-mans 
sent large floats, built at a great cost, that showed the 
way in which some of the trades were worked. The 
boys from thefree schools made afine part of theshow. 

The first thing that was 
done while Har-ri-son was 
Pres-i-dent was to pass the 
Tar-iff Bill, brought into the 
House by Mr. Mc-Kin-ley. 
By this bill the tax on all 
goods brought in-to the U-ni- 
ted States was fixed so as 
to keep out cheap goods from 
Eu-rope, and thus make 
sure of high wa-ges to the 
A-mer-i-can work-ing man. 
A con-gress of all the Amer- 
i-can States was held at Wash-ing-ton, and men from 
Chi-li, Bra-zil, Mex-i-co, Ar-gen-ti-na and oth-er 
Span-ish states met to talk over a plan for a great 




WIL-LIAM Mc-KIN-LEV, 



194 Lives of the Presidents. 

un-ion of all A-mer-i-ca, and thus make them 
bet-ter friends with us and with each oth-er. 

A-way up in the north of the Pa-cif-ic O-cean 
is the home of the pret-ty seals from which we get 
the furs that are made in-to coats and capes and 
caps. The place where the young seals are born 
is called A-las-ka, and the trade is one of great 
val-ue to our peo-ple. Now ma-ny ships from 
oth-er na-tions used to go and kill these harm-less 
an-i-mals, and the Pres-i-dent thought that this 
must be put a stop to. He made an a-gree-ment, 
at last, with the Brit-ish and oth-ers to pre-vent 
this kill-ing of the seals in the sea. This a-gree- 
ment is called the Behr-ing Sea Trea-ty. An- 
oth-er bill was passed in Con-gress to pay the 
sol-diers of the North who had been hurt in the 
late war be-tween the North and the South more 
mon-ey as long as they lived. This is the 
Pen-sion Bill. 

Two new States were let in-to the Un-ion; they 
were the large States in the North-west called 
I-da-ho and Wy-o-ming. In 1890, the peo-ple of 
the U-ni-ted States were count-ed, and it was 
found that there were a-bout six-ty-three mill-ions 
of souls in the coun-try. In 1880, there were only 
fif-ty mill-ions, and in 1870, thir-ty-nine mill-ions. 
At this time, the cen-ter of pop-u-la-tion is near 



Benjamin Harrison. 195 

Greens-burg in south-ern In-di-an-a. Sev-er-al 
laws were passed in Con-gress to check the great 
im-mig-ra-tion from for-eign coun-tries ; this step 
was tak-en be-cause ma-ny of the new-com-ers 
were not Hke-ly to be good cit-i-zens, and be-cause 
the free lands which the Gov-ern-ment used to 
give to sett-lers has all been tak-en up. 

In 1 89 1 a new par-ty was formed. It is called 
the ''Peo-ple's Par-ty"; it asks for the free coin-age 
of sil-ver, the e-lec-tion of the Pres-i-dent by the 
peo-ple, and a change in the tar-iff from pro-tect-ive 
du-ties, to taxes for rev-en-ue on-ly. 

Dur-ing the year 1891 we lost by death Ad- 
mir-al Por-ter, our nav-al hero, and Gen-er-al W. 
T. Sherman, who was so fam-ous dur-ing the 
civ-il war by his '' March to the Sea." 

Pres-i-dent Har-ri-son, when his term of of-fice 
was end-ed, went back to his home in In-di-an-a, 
and re-sumed his prac-tice of the law. 

In 1892 four hun-dred years had passed since 
Chris-to-pher Co-lum-bus first saw A-mer-i-ca, and 
a great show of all that the art, wealth, or work of 
the world could dis-play was held in the cit-y of 
Chi-ca-go. The Pres-i-dent went there and on 
Oc-to-ber 14 o-pened the World's Fair with a 
speech, but it was not re-all-y o-pened to the pub- 
lic till next year. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

GROVER CLEVELAND. 

1893 to 1897. 

Gro-ver Cleve-land, who had been Pres-i-dent 
be-fore Har-ri-son, was a-gain made Pres-i-dent. 
The cry of " free trade " rang through the land, 
and he said that he would try to make the tax on 
eoods brouofht in from a-broad less than it had 
been in the Mc-Kin-ley Bill. 

In May the doors of the World's Fair at Chi- 
ca-go were o-pened. It was the larg-est and most 
beau-ti-ful fair that ev-er was held. It was in a 
park by the side of Lake Mich-i-gan, and the 
ground was laid out with great taste. There were 
great pieces of wa-ter, with ma-ny is-lands and 
brid-ges, and boats of all kinds, from little steam- 
boats to the strange-look-ing gon-do-las, that came 
all the way from Italy, sailed a-bout on the wa-ters. 
There were miles and miles of most beau-ti-ful 
build-ings, all of white, and filled with all sorts of 
rich and rare things from all parts of the globe. 
There were pic-tures and sta-tues with-out end, and 
all kinds of ma-chines, and gold and sil-ver work, 
and silks from the far East, and great pieces of 



G rover Cleveland. 



197 



nee-dle-work, and all kinds of corn, and wheat, and 
bread-stuffs, and ev-er-y-thing that peo-ple eat, and 
ev-er-y-thing that peo-ple wear, and all kinds of wood 
from our trees, and gold, and coal, and i-ron, and 
sil-ver from our mines, and glass-ware, and all sorts 
of toys and dolls that strange lit-tle chil-dren, white 




MA-CHIN-E-RY HALL. 



and black, be-yond the seas like to play with. At 
night the whole place was light-ed up by thou- 
sands of lamps, of var-i-ous col-ors, that shone on 
the tall jets of water that sprang up in-to the air 
from the lit-tle lakes in the Fair grounds, while 
bands of mu-sic played ev-er-y-where. Al-most all 



198 



Lives of the Presidents. 



the States in the Un-ion had each a build-mg of 
its own, in which it showed what crops each of 
them grew, and what were the things that each 
of them made in their work-shops. Just out-side 
the Fair there had been built Ger-man hou-ses, 
and a vill-age from Ja-va, and shops kept by 




LIB-ER-AL ARTS AND MAN-U-FAC-TURES HALL. 

Turks and Greeks, and a whole street from the 
E-<ryp-tian town of Cai-ro with a lot of the hump- 
backed, long-necked, and long-legged cam-els on 
which you could ride a-bout just as folks do in 
the East. The best thing was the sight ot the 
tame li-ons that rode on horses, and jumped over 
ropes, and did what-ev-er their mas-ter bid them, 



Grover Cleveland. 



99 



and played with each oth-er just hke so ma-ny 
pus-sy cats. It will be long be-fore we see such a 
World's Fair a-gain. 

In Con-gress a tar-ijFf bill was brought in to 
make the tax on ma-ny things low-er than it had 




AD-MIN-IS-TRA-TION BUILD-ING. 



been. Some peo-ple call it a ''free trade" bill, 
and do not like it at all, as they say it will make 
wag-es low-er. Oth-ers like it, as they think it will 
let us buy at a cheap rate ma-ny things which we 
all use or need. Just be-fore it was brought in-to 
the House there was what is called a pan-ic, and 
pri-ces of all things fell very low, ma-ny work-shops 



200 



Lives of the Presidents. 



were shut up, and scores and scores of work-men 
were thrown out of work. So there was great dis- 
tress in all parts of the coun-try. Ma-ny of the 
par-ty that had made Cleve-land Pres-i-dent 
turned a-gainst him now, and when he sent in-to 
the Sen-ate some names of men whom he wished 
to be made judges, the Sen-ate would not have 
them made. At last he named Mr. White of 
Lou-is-i-an-a judge of the Su-preme Court, and 
him the Sen-ate gave its vote for. 

Far out in the Pa-cif-ic O-cean are the Sand- 
wich Is-lands. They had 
a queen, whom some 
of her peo-ple did not 
like, so they put her off 
her throne, and asked 
the U-ni-ted States to 
take the is-lands in-to 
the Un-ion. A great 
ma-ny people wished 
this to be done, as they 
are rich, and grow a 
deal of su-gar, but the 
Pres-i-dent has not done 
so yet, as he thinks we ought to leave oth-er coun- 
tries to them-selves till it is quite sure that they 
want to join us. 




QUEEN LI-LI-0 U-KA-LA-NI. 



Grover Cleveland. 207 

Af-ter the late war we did not build a-ny new 
ships of war for ma-ny years, but for the last ten 
years a fleet of fine new ships has been built, line 
of bat-tie ships, crui-sers, and tor-pe-do boats. 
They have i-ron plates on their sides to keep them 
safe, large guns that can throw balls for miles, and 
brave crews, and they can sail fas-ter than oth-er 
ships. Our fleet is still small, but it is good. 

In the long years that have passed since the 
time of our first Pres-i-dent, George Wash-ing-ton, 
there have been great chan-ges. The small band 
has grown to a great throng. The town is now a 
great mart, and ships with their white wings sail 
in-to the great bay day and night like birds to a 
strand. The God of Wash-ing-ton, ** from whose 
hand the years fall like grains of sand," has 
blessed the land with wealth. All men are free 
from north to south, and as our thoughts go back 
to those who fought and bled for us in the past we 
thank God for their faith and for all they have won 
for us. May we mark well the path they trod, 
and stand up like them for truth and God ! May 
peace still crown our land, while our flag flings 
out its Stars and Stripes o'er North and South 
as one. 

Long may it wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! 



R 



outledge's Historical Course. 

IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE. Each book containing about 225 
pages. With numerous illustrations, portraits and maps. Boards, lithographed 
double covers. Price, per volume, $1.00. 

HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, . . By Mrs. Helen W. Pierson. 

HISTORY OF ENGLAND, By Mrs. Helen W. Pierson. 

HISTORY OF FRANCE, By Mrs. Helen W. Pierson. 

HISTORY OF GERMANY, By Mrs. Helen W. Pierson. 

HISTORY OF IRELAND By Miss Agnes Sadlier. 

HISTORY OF RUSSIA, , . . . . By Miss Helen Ainslie Smith. 

HISTORY OF JAPAN, By Miss Helen Ainslie Smith. 

HISTORY OF THE BATTLES OF AMERICA, . By Miss Josephine Pollard 

LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, 

By Mrs. Helen W. Pierson. 

HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, . . By Miss Josephine Pollard. 

HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, • By Miss Josephine Pollard. 
HEROES OF HISTORY, Bv Miss Agnes Sadlier, 



"Simple, bright, intelligent, interesting, instructive histories are here brought to the younger 
readers, and abundance of illustration serves to increase the pleasure of reading and the chances of 
remembering." — New York School Journal. 

" The words us^.c are simple, and considerable information is given about the countries in a 
pleasant way. Excellent maps line the covers, and the histories are brightly and accurately illus- 
trated . " — Springfield Republican. 

" We know of no other books which treat the same subjects in such a way as to interest a juvenile 
audience." — Philadelphia Telegraph. 

" The broad 
make these books 
tion. 

"They are profusely and well illustrated, with brilliantly illuminated covers, and are strongly 
bound, as books which are certain to be as largely read as these should h&."—New York Mail and 
Express. 



pages, printed in very large, open type, the beautiful and appropriate illustrations, 
s the best, on historical subjects, in the language." — New England Journal of Educa- 



GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, limited. 

9 LAFAYETTE PLACE, NEW YORK. 



Routledge s I llustrated Quartos. 

SUITABLE FOR THE YOUNG. 



'NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS. 

These books are all printed from new, large, and clear type, and on fine paper. They 
are fully illustrated throughout, and are bound in boards with handsome and appropriate 
lithographed double covers. 

Notice the press comments on the character and make-up of the books. 

One Hundred Famous Americans. By Helen Ainslie Smith. With portraits 

and other illustrations. 574 pages, cloth, ^2.00. 

It is a series of interesting biographical sketches of the lives and attainments of distinguished 
Americans : pioneers, early and latter-day statesmen, philanthropists, eminent divines, surgeons, scholars, 
inventors, and merchants. Just the book for boys. 

" Happy the boy into whose life this admirable array o/ great men and women, with all the illustrations, por- 
traits, and designs, enters. The selection of characters, and the characteristics of each, are as noticeable as th* attractive 
■way in which the /acts are put.'''' — Journal of Education, Boston. 

Great Cities of the Modern World. By Helen Ainslie Smith. With 270 illus- 
trations (many of them being full-page views of the Great Cities). 450 pages, $1.50. 

" An admirable book. . . . A brilliant book of its kind. . . . An uncommon amount of pleasure and profit 
may be had from the book, and we wonder that we have never had one like it before.''' — Literary World. 

"An excellent book for the young. ... A book that may be read by old and young with equal interest, and 
/ills a void occupied by no other work of its kind.'''' — Saturday Evening Gazette. 

Great Cities of the Ancient V^orld. {A Companion Volume to the above.) Pro- 
fusely illustrated with full-page and smaller views. $1.50. 

"A body of useful information. . . . The illustrations, aiming to represent the cities of antiquity as they 
appeared at their prime, and the costumes of their inhabitants, are numerous and striking.'''' — A. Y. Sun. 

Paul and Virginia. By Bernardin De St. Pierre. With 300 illustrations. $1.50. 

This old-time favorite and classic appears in a new dress — in boards, quarto — with appropriate 
lithographed design. The text is supplemented with a very handsome border, which lends an additional 
charm to its 300 illustrations. 

Heroes of American Discovery. By N. D'Anvers. With portraits of the early 
navigators, and scenes of their exploits. $1.25. 

"An interesting manual of American history, designed for young people." — N. Y. Sun. 

" More readable than a bare history, and more instructive than a mere biography ; . . . taken altogether is 
excellent." — ^V. Y. School Journal. 

Lraboulaye's Illustrated Fairy Tales. A new and very beautiful edition. With 250 
illustrations. 356 pages, cloth, $2.00 ; boards, $1.50. 

" Will be heartily welcomed. The choice is excellent. The narrative has the literary quality which made the 
reputation of the genial compiler. The pictures, too — of French origin — are good." — N. Y. Nation. 

D'Aulnoy's Illustrated Fairy Tales. A new edition of these well-known tales, with 
illustrations by Gordon Browne and Lydia F. Emmett. $1.50. 

Mattie's Secret. By Emile Desbeaux. With 100 illustrations. $1.25. 

Stories of Persons and Places in Europe. By E. L. Benedict. Copiously illus 
trated with views of noted places, persons, and events. $1.50. 

Stories of Persons and Places in America. By Helen Ainsme Smith. Copi- 
ously illustrated with views of noted places, persons, and events. $1.50. 



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